Netflix live-action 'Cowboy Bebop' received plenty of criticisms when it premiered. Season 2 is no longer happening.
Cowboy Bebop, the 1990s anime series about space bounty hunters in the year 2071, is a worldwide phenomenon with a devoted following. With only 26 episodes, the show has garnered a cult-like status, leading to adaptations such as a manga with two volumes, a film, video games, and a spin-off story. Recently, Netflix released a live-action series featuring John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, Elena Satine, and Alex Hassell. Although the series has received mixed reviews due to its deviation from the original plot, fans appreciate the show's in-depth storytelling and its potential for future seasons.
Despite high anticipation and widespread hype, the live-action adaptation of 'Cowboy Bebop' failed to meet expectations and received widespread criticism upon release. As a result, the show was canceled after just one season. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the 10-episode adaptation a mere 46 percent positive rating from critics and a 56 percent audience score.
When deciding whether to renew a show, Netflix takes into account viewership and production costs. Given the overwhelmingly negative reviews, it's no surprise that the streamer decided to pull the plug on the project despite previously hyping it up. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Netflix has canceled a live-action adaptation, as they also recently axed Jupiter's Legacy despite its cliffhanger ending and all the hype surrounding it.
The first season came to an end after Spike meets child genius, Ed, for the first time. He has just been shot by Julia, and Ed tries to hire Spike for his services. Max is the final member of the Bebop crew, whom we only meet in the end. This is setting up expectations for the season to come. The live-action series has already taken a different approach to the story. The changes in the characters' capacity in the series have allowed for more prospects in the future if Netflix decided to renew the series for another season.
If the series got renewed, we would've expected to see Spike's past and the story of him with Julia, his love interest, and currently, the most likely candidate for being the main antagonist in the series. "In the early days of sitting in a writer's room, it was 'what's your favorite episode and why.' And putting those on the board and looking at them and being like, we can't craft stories from all of these," André Nemec, the show developer, said, as per Polygon. "So there are definitely moments, characters, scenes, bits, worlds that I am desperate and dying to explore in the—fingers crossed—season 2."
Netflix canceled Cowboy Bebop after just one season, so season 2 is no longer happening. Unlike the highly-acclaimed anime which was originally planned to run for one season only, the Netflix's live-action did not move forward because it failed to meet fans' expectations.
This article was reviewed and is up to date as of August 19th, 2023.
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