Why Netflix canceled the line after three seasons

In 2015, “Bloodline” was at the back of the list of these high -end Netflix (like “House of Cards” and “Orange Netflix and” Orange “) shows that the streaming service was mainly to impress and hang viewers. The first season was cool and captivating, offering the type of family drama with slow combustion that takes place in the breathtaking dazzling Florida keys that seemed special at the time. It was perhaps not as prestigious or worthy of buzz as the creators Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman, but his quality was clearly up there with other exclusives of Netflix. At the same time, its heartbreaking history and emotionally in layers in season 1 also had the feeling of a limited series, as opposed to something that could last for years – despite the creators claiming that they had always planned to be a spectacle with potentially five or six seasons.

With many other viewers, I greatly appreciated the first year 2015 season, but I was quite surprised to learn that the show had been renewed for another year (then another) because, at the base, the intrigue was really a pony in a turn. And this tip struck like a truck in a shocking turn towards the end of these 13 initial episodes, but after their conclusion, there was not much left.

The seasons 2 and 3 of “Bloodline” were far from being so deep and biting, and many criticisms immediately felt that something essential had been lost along the way. The actors and the performances were still sublime, but the equipment they had to work was not. Overall, this had to affect streaming numbers (although it is difficult to say with certainty since the metrics of the Netflix hearing are sadly questionable), which had to make the cost of year production after year difficult.

Whatever way you look at it, “Bloodline” was undoubtedly not at the same level in terms of buzz and popularity as the other netflix originals which operated at the same time, like the “Stranger Things” or the “13 reasons” controversial. But as it was mainly shot on site, the production costs were still quite high. According to a co-creator of the interview, Todd A. Kessler, gave the Hollywood Reporter, the creatives of the show were able to reduce costs during the first two seasons thanks to a program of incentive to the tax on entertainment in Florida. For season 3, however, this was no longer the case. As Kessler explained:

“We decided to install the show there [Florida Keys] … because it is crucial for the show, not because of the tax incentive, but that affects things financially for us, and the show will be disputed because of this. It makes things more difficult. “”

According to Vulture, Netflix paid Sony Pictures Television between $ 7 and 8.5 million per hour to produce the series, which meant that a season of 10 episodes would have cost the streaming giant between $ 70 and 85 million. The tax credits are no longer a viable option to reduce costs (as they were in the first two seasons), Netflix simply made the call that “Bloodline” was not worth it to advance it. He therefore shortened the last season from 13 to 10 episodes and announced the cancellation of the series in 2016.

Although it was a somewhat surprising decision at the time (Netflix mainly widened its list of original programs at the time), it was not completely out of nowhere. Frankly, if you look at most of the spectator’s viewers and opinions (which were quite poor), Netflix’s decision seems, both from a creative and financial point of view, more than justified.