Why Netflix canceled Fate: The Winx Saga

Remember the 2004 Nickelodeon animated series The Winx Club? Don’t worry if you don’t; fantasy show revolves around a group of teenage girls known as the Winx who can transform into fairies with various abilities. While it is power The Winx Club sounds like a standard genre convention, but it’s anything but, but its character-driven storytelling works hand-in-hand with its refreshing take on traditional gender roles. Every female character in The Winx Club is powerful, self-sufficient, and far from a damsel in distress; together they work to expose double standards and toxic masculinity in society. Even on a superficial level, the magical universe of The Winx Club takes us on fun, memorable adventures that require battling elemental opponents as part of its complex magic system (inducing fun compared to Avatar the Last Airbender which premiered a year after this show).

Series creator Iginio Straffi had been interested in a live-action adaptation since 2011, which eventually led to the Netflix series Fate: The Winx Saga being produced by Rainbow Studios, owned by Straffi and Viacom. The live-action Winx Saga (hosted by Brian Young) centers on Bloom (Abigail Cowan), a fire fairy who suddenly finds herself in a fantasy realm after losing control of her powers. Finding her way to Alpheus School of Magic, Bloom soon meets her team of Winx, who band together to channel their elemental powers into a unified force. While the Netflix show retains some of the lore from the original animated series, it also draws on much more modern and popular ones (read: stale) tropes is something that unfortunately prevents it from having the same heartfelt charm as The Winx Club.

At the same time, the first two seasons of “Fate: Winx Saga” caused considerable interest. Both seasons entered (and remained in) the top 10 of Netflix’s daily streaming charts for at least two weeks after their premieres, with the platform ultimately claiming that Season 1 garnered 57 million household views in the first 28 days after output. So why then was Fate: The Winx Saga canceled after season two?

It’s not too hard to determine why “Fate” was abruptly canceled, especially considering the audience interest/viewing data provided by Netflix. While Season 1 was a record-breaking success, interest in Season 2 has fallen off significantly in comparison, even though the numbers look solid enough on their own. As mentioned above, Season 2 was one of Netflix’s most watched series worldwide within two weeks of its premiere, but only garnered 161 million hours from users worldwide. That’s not bad by most standards, but one can only assume that Netflix didn’t think those numbers were good enough.

We also have to admit that there is a disturbing trend of shows being canceled early in their run has unfortunately become a Netflix staplewhich led to the cancellation of several promising series despite glowing reviews and steady viewing figures. Although “Fate” was far from a critical darling (see also: its not so good critics scores on Rotten Tomatoes), it’s worth talking about giving the show a chance to actually breathe and find its footing before destroying them. Of course, not every series can be an artistic triumph or a commercial hit, and not necessarily. But too many shows in the streaming age have been nipped in the bud before they even had a chance to blossom or evolve into something more interesting.

Anyway, back on topic: Season 2 of “Fate” centers on the upheavals experienced by Alfea and her studentsand ends with an epic battle and a ton of revelations about the Realm of Darkness. While not every ending is complete and the season ends on a cliffhanger, interested fans can continue to experience the story in graphic novel form. Indeed, Rainbow and Mad Crave Studios have partnered to publish a Fate graphic novel series in 2023, with the first entry titled Dark Destiny being released in 2024. And if you find yourself craving even more Winx, then the best thing to do is watch the original animated series, which is unparalleled in its exploration of strength and sisterhood.