Why Netflix's Post-Apocalyptic Comedy Daybreak Was Canceled

Netflix giveth, Netflix taketh away. Once upon a time, when the streaming giant first started giving audiences original content, it felt like Netflix would never cancel anything. Indeed, Netflix became a kind of catch-all for canceled shows — whenever a network pulled the plug on something beloved, fans would launch online campaigns hoping to convince Netflix to "save the show." And as it turns out, Netflix has done just that on several occasions, including with titles such as "Arrested Development" and "Designated Survivor." But Netflix also cancels stuff now. In fact, they cancel a lot of shows, much to the upset of some viewers. One recently canceled Netflix series was the post-apocalyptic comedy "Daybreak," which only got one season on the streamer before it was sent packing. 

"Daybreak" wasn't exactly the buzziest Netflix show, so it might not have even been on your radar. The series premiered on Netflix back in 2019, and came from creators Brad Peyton
and Aron Eli Coleite, adapting the comic series by Brian Ralph. The series was essentially a high school comedy that just happened to be set in a post-apocalyptic world. Here's the official synopsis: 

High school isn't the end of the world... until it is. In this post-apocalyptic, genre-bending series, the city of Glendale, California is populated by marauding gangs of jocks, gamers, the 4-H Club, and other fearsome tribes who are kicking ass as they fight to survive in the wake of a nuclear blast (on the night of Homecoming...ugh). Following an eclectic group of survivors as they navigate this strange and treacherous world, Daybreak is part samurai saga, part endearing coming-of-age story, and part Battle Royale.

The cast included Colin Ford, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Sophie Simnett, Austin Crute, Cody Kearsley, Jeanté Godlock, Gregory Kasyan, Krysta Rodriguez, and Matthew Broderick.

So why did Netflix cancel "Daybreak"? The streamer never released a statement explaining why, but there are usually several reasons behind Netflix pulling the plug on a series. According to an article in Bloomberg with more info from What's On Netflix, Netflix "relies on its own idiosyncratic data points to evaluate programs." What are those data points? Netflix isn't telling, although they apparently include things like "adjusted view share" and "impact value." Yeah, I don't really know what those things mean either.

Netflix also judges their shows by how many people finish watching them. If viewers only stream a few minutes of a series and then turn it off, Netflix notices. And if someone starts a show but doesn't both to watch all the way to the season (or series) finale, Netflix takes note. So while we don't have an official reason from Netflix, it seems like these were the likely culprits that lead to cancelation.

When "Daybreak" was canceled, co-creator Aron Coleite released a joint statement from the show's producers, stating, in part, 

"We learned last week that Daybreak will not be returning for a second season. We're so sorry we couldn't share it with you sooner but also so grateful that we got to hang out in these last few live tweet sessions with all of you. Thank you for picking up what we put down, for running with it in all of your amazing, weird, monstrous ways and for being such an important part of this show and our experience making it."

I'll confess I never watched "Daybreak," but statements like that always make me a little sad. It's clear the team behind the show gave it their all, but in the end, it seemingly didn't do well enough for Netflix to keep the show around.