Bang: Netflix's 'Cowboy Bebop' Cancelled After One Season

Yet another live-action Netflix Adaptation of a popular anime has suffered the consequences of being largely disliked, as Netflix has cancelled Cowboy Bebop just two weeks after its premiere.

The show starred John Cho as Spike Siegel, which initially had people excited that a western anime adaptation had cast an Asian lead for once, but that excitement fizzled out as Netflix continued to attempt to hype up the series' impending release by posting 1-to-1 comparisons of the series to the original anime, driving home the suspicion in most fans' minds that anime just doesn't translate well to live-action.

The visual poetry of the first shot. The second shot looking like it’s from The Room. I dunno guys, I dunno https://t.co/zsXhSyzIyT

— SPIRAL CURSE DEMARCO (@Clarknova1) November 11, 2021

Critics were similarly unimpressed when the series finally aired. Collider wrote the show "result lacks a color palette, a distinct visual language, and any resemblance of soul. This is just like the Cowboy Bebop you remember (or that your friends told you about), except it is absolutely nothing like it." Decider put it more simply: "The problem is the animated version of this story is still vastly superior."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "insiders" suggested that while Netflix has greenlit second seasons of series with middling reviews in the past, the cost of producing another Cowboy Bebop season may have been a factor in the decision to cancel it. The streaming giant also has a One Piece adaptation in the works, and perhaps figured their chances for landing an anime-adaptation hit lied elsewhere.