'Resident Evil' Canceled on Netflix After Season 1 — Unexpected Reason Revealed
"Resident Evil" got canceled long before it was able to share its whole story with the public.
The "Resident Evil" fans got the best gift ever when Netflix confirmed the horror game series' adaptation. After a long wait, the streaming giant debuted the flick on July 14.
Unfortunately, it only lasted for one season.
Multiple news outlets, including Deadline and Collider, revealed that Netflix canceled the first live-action show of "Resident Evil" due to its "short shelf life with viewers.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the flick received 72.7 million hours of views in its first week. Meanwhile, Nielsen estimated that it had 14.3 million hours of viewing in the United States alone.
"Resident Evil" season 1's viewership remained the same in its second week. Unfortunately, it declined rapidly in the weeks thereafter and it immediately got removed from the top 10 original series chart.
It also faced a tragic fate since it was aired when the final episodes of "Stranger Things" and the arrival of "The Sandman" occurred at the same time.
The ending was unexpected, though, as even its showrunner, Andrew Dabb, believed that it would be successful due to the game's popularity.
"The movies went big and crazy (and I love them), and the games tend to be smaller and more contained (although not always, as the later games get a little bit bigger)," Dabb told SYFY WIRE.
Fans, Cast Members React After Cancelation
Following the confirmation of its postponement, its cast members and viewers expressed their heartbreak after losing the show.
"Resident Evil" series followed the story presented in the Capcom video game franchise of the same name. The now-canceled show told the story of Jade Wesker as she tried to survive in a world conquered by infected creatures.
Ella Balinska played Wesker's titular role. It also starred Lance Reddick, Siena Agudong, Turlough Convery, Tamara Smart, Paola Nuñez, Ahad Raza Mir, Adeline Rudolph, and Connor Gosatti, to name a few.
Meanwhile, the first "Resident Evil" game was presented to the public in 1996. Due to its success, the franchise continuously released new entries and managed to sell millions of copies worldwide.
The series' flop followed the film's success, as it grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide.
