Yes, 1899 was slower & not as immediately engaging as Dark, from the same creators. Yet it was still the top ranking show on Netflix (at least per the "top 10" view - who knows what algorithmic nonsense underpins that) for weeks, displaced only by the phenomenon of Wednesday, and yet it still gets the boot.

But this isn't about any single show - it's the pattern Netflix has created for itself of commissioning then almost immediately cancelling… well, it seems like everything, at this point.

Again, why should viewers bother with anything on Netflix if chances are, it's already gone by the time they start watching?

Why should - no, *how can* - creators plan for longer arcs or narrative payoff if the streaming platform is more likely to cancel than recommission a show? Why even bother taking a show to Netflix at this point?

It gets worse - the uncertainty over pick-ups and the meager episode counts are already harming the shows that DO get made.

If Wednesday had more time to breathe as a show - even 10-13 episodes, not necessarily the old, bloated syndicated standard of 22-26 - those story beats would have had more impact than they do in Netflix's heavily truncated, but seemingly now standard eight episodes.

And despite the flaws of the format and the miserly 8 eps, Wednesday was a stone cold HIT - and Netflix STILL* hasn't renewed even THAT!