2026 has been another great year for Netflix with big new shows and returning favourites winning millions of views.
From Man on Fire and One Piece through to His & Hers, I Will Find You and, of course, Bridgerton Season 4, we’ve had no shortage of series to watch — and we’re barely even past the halfway mark, meaning there’s so much more to come.
But for every show that worms its way into our hearts, there’s others which are more short-lived, lasting just a season or two before being shelved for various reasons.
Netflix has already cancelled a string of shows this year including The Abandons, Terminator Zero, Alice In Borderland, Miss Governor, What’s In The Box, and The Vince Staples Show.
But last month saw the axe fall on two popular shows after just a single series, with one being canned despite nabbing glowing reviews.
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So, which shows are they?
Building The Band
Netflix singing contest Building The Band, in which 50 singers compete in individual sound booths for the chance to form the ultimate band, was notable for featuring Liam Payne’s final major TV appearance.
The One Direction star appeared as a judge and mentor on the show, filming scenes just weeks before his tragic death, aged 31, in Argentina in October 2024.
Understandably, it was emotional viewing for fans, with the series being aired on Netflix after Liam’s family gave their blessing for it to be shown.
Nicole Scherzinger (The Pussycat Dolls) and Kelly Rowland (Destiny’s Child) also appeared as judges, alongside host AJ McLean of Backstreet Boys fame, who also paid a heartfelt tribute to the One Direction star at the start of the show.
Building The Band premiered in July 2025, with four bands — 3quency, SZN4, Soulidified, and Midnight Til Morning — emerging from the competition, all of whom have since signed record deals, released music and toured.
Midnight Til Morning also recently appeared at BST Hyde Park, supporting K-Pop stars ATEEZ on their sold-out show.
While Netflix has not officially confirmed the cancellation of the show, and had no further comment when contacted by Metro, a source told The Sun there were no plans for a second series.
‘Although there are currently no plans for a second season of Building The Band, bosses at Netflix are really proud of what they achieved,’ the insider said.
‘That’s because the show led to the creation of four amazing groups and all of them have since signed record deals.’
The Boroughs
You’d have thought that a show like The Boroughs, which came to Netflix trailing a string of credentials in its wake, would be a solid gold hit.
Produced by The Duffer Brothers (the powerhouse duo who gave the world Stranger Things), The Boroughs also featured an A-list cast, featuring the likes of Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, Alfre Woodard and Alfred Molina.
What’s more, it had a cracking supernatural storyline, centring around the residents of a remote retirement village in New Mexico, who are thrown into a web of mystery after a creepy alien appears, and one of their number shows up dead.
The show was certainly a hit with critics, scoring 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and with Empire magazine calling it ‘an original sci-fi that succeeds on its own terms,’ while the Los Angeles Times described it as ‘a very enjoyable watch’.
However, Netflix won’t be bringing it back for a second series which means those eight episodes is all you’re getting.
And it’s not been a popular decision. One of its cast, actor Denis O’Hare, even suggested a way they could save it.
Speaking on Instagram the actor suggested: ‘I think we still have a couple of days before the end of Emmy voting that everyone should just vote for The Boroughs. You can vote for me if you like.’
He added: ‘Stick it to Netflix and let them know that they made a mistake’.