The Real Reason Why Netflix Canceled 'The Baby-Sitters Club'
Perhaps, as some have expected, Netflix has continued to ax shows for one reason or another. In January 2022, the streaming giant began with the comedy-drama Gentefied. Just a few days later, it also announced the end of Cooking with Paris just when fans were hoping for a second season. More recently, Netflix announced that it is canceling The Baby-Sitters Club.Based on a series of novels by Ann M. Martin, The Baby-Sitter’s Club tells the story of a group of middle school friends who decide to open their very own babysitting business. Created by Rachel Shukert, it’s a family drama created by that stars Sophie Grace, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph, Malia Baker, and veteran actress Alicia Silverstone.Throughout its two seasons, the series garnered critical acclaim for its heartwarming stories and nostalgia. And so, Netflix’s decision to end the show left a lot confused, including Shukert herself.
So Why Did Netflix Cancel ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’?
It seems there is no simple answer to this question. At first glance, it never looked like the show was in danger with the streamer. After all, critics raved about it (that almost rarely happens) and it earned a respectable following. The show has already managed to reach its sophomore year. So why not just renew it for the third time?
As Shukert suspects, it had something to do with the show’s numbers. And in the case of Netflix, that almost always means viewership and several other related parameters. On that front, Shukert initially thought the series was doing as well as can be expected.
“You have a call, and they give you numbers seven days in and then 28 days in. Our numbers seemed fine,” she told Vulture. “It was what they expected. It was pretty close to what we did last season, so I wasn’t too worried.”
But unlike during the previous season, something just seemed amiss. “It was the very beginning of February. It took them a long time to make the call, which is unusual,” Shukert recalled. “Netflix can be very quick about pulling the plug on things they’re not going to continue.”
While she never really found out why they were dragging their feet, their cancellation was confirmed eventually. And as devastated as Shukert was, the showrunner was confused. If the numbers seemed right, what changed?
Is This Hit Korean Series To Blame?
The number may not have changed much for Shukert and her show but for Netflix, the numbers were suddenly going wild. Around the time that The Baby-Sitters Club released its second season in 2021, the streamer introduced the Korean series Squid Game to its massive subscriber base. The show blew up.
In a span of 28 days since its September premiere, Squid Game was viewed for an incredible 1.65 billion hours. Just a month following its launch, the streamer revealed that the show has already been watched by 111 million viewers.
“Today, Squid Game has broken through our wildest dreams,” Minyoung Kim, Netflix’s vice president of content for Asia Pacific, even said in an interview.
Such strong ratings may have been good news for the show and streamer, but not so much for Shukert’s show whose second season premiered just one month after the Korean hit. As she realized, Squid Game “showed them how crazy numbers could get.”
The showrunner added, “Numbers that were totally respectable and successful last year were suddenly seen in a different way.”
The Algorithm May Have Worked Against The Show
At the same time, there’s the perception that Netflix’s very own algorithm may have partly led to the show’s demise. While the first season of The Baby-Sitters Club benefited from good marketing, fans were pretty much left to discover the second season on their own.
“I heard from so many people who loved season one that they didn’t even know season two had come out,” Shukert revealed. It’s an issue that has left her dumbfounded to this day.
“How does the algorithm not know that you watched and loved the entire first season and then immediately show season two to you? Why is this not getting in front of people that want to watch it?”
At the same time, the very same algorithm would reportedly skew subscribers away from the show if they don’t belong to the show’s target demographic.
“A show like this has tremendous nostalgic potential. People who grew up reading the books, people who have kids that age …” Shukert explained. “But if you’re 35, and you loved the books, and you don’t watch a lot of YA stuff or any of Netflix’s kids and family stuff, Netflix is not going to show The Baby-Sitters Club to you.”
Meanwhile, Shukert revealed that there’s been some talk about turning The Baby-Sitters Club into a movie. There’s also the possibility of continuing the show with another streamer. From the looks of it, however, that is more of a longshot.
For starters, Shukert and Walden Media, the company that produced the show for Netflix, would have to get the streamer to give up its rights to the show. And, to be able to work on future seasons, new contracts have to be secured for all the talents. Everything has to be done right away, while the girls on the show are still at the right age.
At the moment, there is an online petition trying to save the show even after Netflix already announced its decision. There are also fans suggesting a possible spinoff. In the end, though, it doesn’t seem like anything would be enough to change Netflix’s mind.
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