The medieval fantasy series Cursed has been canceled by Netflix without a second season, and here's why the streaming service won't continue the project. Cursed premiered on Netflix in July 2020 with a 10-episode first season, but a year passed without any updates, leaving the fate of the series up in the air. Now, in the aftermath of other recent cancelations that include four original comedy shows, Cursed has gotten the axe from Netflix as well with its title becoming an ironic self-fulfilling prophecy.
Based on Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler's illustrated young adult novel of the same name, Cursed follows the story of a heroine from Arthurian legend. Nimue, played by 13 Reason Why's Katherine Langford, is shunned by her Fey village and believed to be cursed but has a destiny to become the magical Lady of the Lake. She unexpectedly joins forces with young King Arthur (Devon Terrell) on a quest to find Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgård) and deliver Excalibur. Nimue also becomes a symbol of strength against the Red Paladins, a group of violent religious zealots who want to eradicate magic and thus the Fey people. The show explores themes of courage, religious oppression, the effects of war, and more.
Although the idea was promising, Cursed was likely canceled because it didn't live up to expectations and didn't draw enough viewers in compared to their other projects. Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a score of 67% based on critic ratings and shows 53% for the audience score, indicating mixed reviews. On top of that, due to the pandemic, Netflix has canceled a handful of series they already renewed because they couldn't put the shows into production, and there's a stream of new shows and movies to produce. It's less about whether Cursed was popular and more about how popular it was compared to other series, especially those with franchise potential. Furthermore, fantasy series - with the sets, costumes, CGI, and more - can potentially be more expensive to make.
Still, the cancelation of Cursed comes as a bit of a surprise for a show that did manage to secure some popularity leading up to its release. Netflix had ordered the series before Miller and Wheeler's book was even published in the fall of 2019, and the on-screen project became highly anticipated. The fact that the streaming service had secured Langford - a recognizable star from its infamous teen drama 13 Reasons Why - to headline the cast as Lady of the Lake seemed like a viable move. Upon its release, rumors about a Merlin spinoff already began to circulate. But, after all the hype, Cursed only spent a few weeks on the platform's top 10 charts, and the possibility of a spinoff appears doubtful now.
In the aftermath of the news about Cursed, some loyal fans have started campaigning for another streaming service to pick up the series, using the hashtag #SavedCursed on social media. However, the cast members have been released from their contracts and are free to pursue other projects, which makes any return seem unlikely. Some of the actors have taken to social media to express their gratitude for being a part of Cursed, and Wheeler hinted in an Instagram post on July 9 that another novel could be in the works.
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