Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
With a recent slew of original series cancellations under Netflix‘s belt (Girlboss, Sense8, The Get Down, and Bloodline, to name a few), it may feel risky to become attached to anything the platform puts out. Thanks to this new habit, the fate of Gypsy, the psychosexual thriller that only just Netflix this weekend, is already garnering buzz. While it may not be a critical darling, the 10-part Naomi Watts series seems to have found an audience and been binged already, leaving viewers wanting more. So what’s the deal? Does a second season renewal seem likely? If recent statements and behavior from Netflix are to be believed, things don’t look great for Gypsy.
If Gypsy‘s performance is indicative of any future it might have, it’s best to bid the series farewell on its way to the chopping block. Currently boasting a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes, the unfortunate truth about the show seems to be that Watts’ stellar performance is obscured by lackluster storytelling and a painstakingly boring, slow pace. Having Oscar-nominated Watts and tried-and-true 50 Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson at the helm of the series may seem to work in its favor, but as we’ve seen with other recently-axed titles, the talent doesn’t seem to matter if the numbers aren’t there.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings discussed the issue of cancellations with CNBC last month prior to saying goodbye to Sense8 and Girlboss, and the platform has acted accordingly: “Our hit ratio is way too high right now,” he said. “So, we’ve cancelled very few shows… I’m always pushing the content team. We have to take more risk – you have to try more crazy things. Because we should have a higher cancel rate overall.”
While Netflix notoriously takes its time when it comes to announcing series renewals (they haven’t even let us know about a sixth season of House of Cards yet), the fate of Gypsy seems all but sealed. Unless there happens to be a massive wave of viewers that justify spending another few million dollars on a second season, it seems unlikely that we’ll see Watts’ boundary-crossing therapist back for a sequel.
