Entertainment
- Netflix canceled its post-apocalyptic comedy "Daybreak" after one season, series cocreator Aron Coliete announced on Twitter on Monday.
- It's the latest series to get the ax by Netflix after a very short run.
- Brian Ralph, the creator of the graphic novel the show is based on, told Business Insider in October that he had ideas for a follow up graphic novel, but didn't "want to be concerned with how people think it might relate" to the TV series.
- Ralph said the show was a departure from the book, but he liked the changes and how it "expanded on the graphic novel and made it into a much bigger universe."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
"Daybreak" is the latest Netflix series to be canceled after just one season.
Cocreator Aron Coliete announced the news on Twitter on Monday, saying "No one is as heartbroken as we are that we can't share more of this ride with you. But we're so grateful to have gotten to bring it this far."
The post-apocalyptic comedy, based on the graphic novel of the same name, debuted in October on the streaming service. It followed a young man named Josh (Colin Ford) as he journeyed through a "Mad Max"-style zombie wasteland in search of a girl.
With a 72% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, "Daybreak" wasn't a critical sensation, but wasn't hated, either. Worse-reviewed shows, such as "Insatiable" and "13 Reasons Why," have been lambasted by critics only to enjoy more than one season.
So why was "Daybreak" canceled? Netflix hasn't said. It's blamed cancellations on low viewership before, such as for "One Day at a Time," which Netflix canceled after three seasons because "simply not enough people watched to justify another season."
Deadline reported earlier this year that Netflix sees little value in long-running shows because of high costs and the fact that they are harder to binge for new viewers. Netflix has canceled plenty of acclaimed shows with loyal fanbases early in their runs, such as "Daredevil," "American Vandal," and "Tuca and Bertie."
Brian Ralph, who created the "Daybreak" graphic novel, told Business Insider in October that he had ideas for a follow up book, but didn't want to think about how it would relate to the TV show when making it.
"I've been working on another book in that world, but I don't want to be concerned with how people think it might relate [to the show]," he said. "I just want to make the comic for the sake of making it, like that initial pure interest in making the first book."
Ralph said that "Rampage" director Brad Peyton, an executive producer and director on "Daybreak," had the option to the graphic novel for years before it finally landed at Netflix. Ralph was sold on Peyton's pitch of "Ferris Bueller in the apocalypse."
The TV series is paced quite differently from the book, which Ralph described to Business Insider as a "quiet, independent comic." But he was happy with the changes.
"The writers expanded on the graphic novel and made it into a much bigger universe," Ralph said. "But the things that they kept I was really pleased with."
