Netflix seems to renew more shows than it cancels. When they do cancel a show with big stars or that are critically acclaimed you have to wonder why. Why did they pull the plug on shows like One Day at a Time, Disjointed, Fuller House and The Good Cop?
It seems time was not on their side. Andy Dehnart from Reality Blurred tweeted, “Producers who’ve worked with Netflix tell me that it’s obsessed with how much a show costs per minute. That’s why we get unnecessarily long episodes; longer ep = lower cost per minute.”
Meaning since sitcoms run about 25 minutes, Netflix will consider them more expensive than a show that runs 60 minutes. Now we know why Glow is said to be on the chopping block after every season. Also, a drama like The Good Cop that clocked in 45 minutes, in their eyes, costs more than a drama that takes up the whole hour.
Which means if you want your show to last on Netflix make it as long as possible and then make it even longer than that. That might explain why Arrested Development makes their episodes over 30 minutes long which is rare for a sitcom.
This might not be the case, but it makes a lot of sense. It also explains why they picked up Lucifer and Designated Survivor and not The Last Man on Earth.
