We moved on from some of Netflix‘s best TV shows far too quickly. There have been a wide variety of projects, such as Wednesday, Squid Game, and Stranger Things, that have had a significant impact on popular culture. They are at the forefront of people’s minds as they wait eagerly for another installment, and online discussions are rich with mentions of these titles. However, not every worthy TV show gets that kind of attention.
It’s something of a mystery how a TV show could receive excellent reception and trend on Netflix, yet fail to remain at the center of streaming discussions. There was nothing overtly wrong with the project, but it wasn’t memorable in the long term. When this happens, Netflix often decides not to move forward with more episodes, or the TV show sits in limbo with no cancellation or confirmation for another season. It’s certainly frustrating, since these Netflix series truly deserved more.
The Residence (2025)
The Residence was an absolute riot of a whodunit. Created by Paul William Davies and starring the spectacular Uzo Aduba, the series consisted of only eight episodes, all of which premiered on March 20, 2025. The Residence had a fair stint in Netflix’s Top 10 and scored an impressive 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, everyone seemed to move on from The Residence rather quickly.
Despite being a classic whodunit, The Residence was unique among Netflix’s new offerings in 2025. It was funny and entirely charming, and could have easily seen success with another season. Unfortunately, the lack of buzz around The Residence led Netflix to cancel it within a few months of its release.
No Good Deed (2024)
Liz Feldman’s black comedy series, No Good Deed, had everything it needed to be memorable. It starred Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano, who were joined by superstars like Linda Cardellini, Luke Wilson, Poppy Liu, and more. Another quick binge of eight episodes, No Good Deed‘s central mystery was fun, a touch unsettling, bittersweet, and fairly shocking.
Once again, No Good Deed is a Netflix series that pleased critics, earning an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The show also ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 TV shows for a few weeks. After it fell off, however, discussions about No Good Deed came to an abrupt end. As a result, Netflix has put any plans to continue the series on hold indefinitely.
GLOW (2017 – 2020)
Unlike the previous entries on this list, GLOW actually remained popular with Netflix audiences for several seasons. Created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, the wrestling comedy series ran for three seasons, with Netflix releasing new episodes every year between 2017 and 2019. GLOW was confirmed for season 4, but it never happened.
GLOW holds an impressive 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
GLOW was, unfortunately, one of those TV shows that got put aside due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. When Netflix resumed business, it prioritized its biggest projects—the ones everyone was talking about. GLOW wasn’t one of them, and it ultimately got put off so much that Netflix finally canceled the series.
Sense8 (2015–2018)
Science fiction TV shows tend to perform well, and Sense8 was no exception (at least in the short term). The series was created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, along with J. Michael Straczynski, and explores themes of global empathy and commonality. Sense8 got two seasons, and maintains an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the series never gained the sort of traction it needed.Netflix dumped a significant budget into Sense8, but it seems the company didn’t observe a return on its investment. The show was ultimately canceled, with Netflix citing diminishing interest and viewership. Sense8‘s cancellation inspired an online petition that successfully secured a two-hour special to continue the show. Unfortunately, this, too, didn’t get the attention that it deserved, and everyone moved on a bit too quickly.
Erased (2017)
Netflix’s live-action remakes of popular anime or manga tend to be hit or miss, and it seems we spend a lot more time talking about the misses than those that actually worked. For example, while the disastrous Cowboy Bebop and Death Note are still being discussed, Netflix’s masterpiece Erased has been essentially forgotten.
Erased, released in 2016, is based on the hit anime of the same name (called Baku dake ga Inai Machi in Japan). Somehow, Netflix actually managed to capture the bittersweet quality of the original series. It’s artful and creative, and while fans of the original series praised the live-action remake, the masterpiece has essentially been ignored since 2017.
Russian Doll
Netflix’s Russian Doll is a whole lot of different things all at once. A sort of psychological mystery comedy drama series, the project is created by Amy Poehler, Natasha Lyonne (who also stars), and Leslye Headland. Russian Doll got two seasons, both of which were entirely bizarre (but darkly thrilling). Unfortunately, the series is now stuck in development hell.
Russian Doll provided viewers with a whole lot to contemplate. After season 1, which saw Lyonne’s character stuck in a sort of Groundhog Day situation, the internet was abuzz with discussion, theories, and Easter egg hunts. It was much the same with season 2, but that buzz died down astonishingly fast. The supposed lost interest in Russian Doll means that Poehler and Lyonne are nowhere close to creating more episodes, leaving this Netflix TV show woefully forgotten (though not officially canceled).
