Why Netflix Canceled Pulse After One Season

The Netflix medical drama "Pulse" seemed poised for success when it was first announced. Who wouldn't want to watch Willa Fitzgerald (of "Reacher" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" fame) try to survive her job at a Florida trauma center? Yes, the format of the show seemed a little similar to previous hit series like "Grey's Anatomy" and "ER," but by early 2025, both of those shows were firmly out of the limelight. As such, "Pulse" appeared to be filling a new hole in the TV landscape; the apparent logic over at Netflix was that it had a surefire hit on its hands, just so long as no other streaming service released its own hard-hitting medical drama around the same time.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. In January 2025, three months before "Pulse" dropped, HBO Max released the first episode of "The Pitt." The show quickly took off, garnering mass critical praise and nonstop media coverage. Everyone was talking about "The Pitt," and, thanks to its traditional weekly release schedule, they continued talking about "The Pitt" for 15 weeks straight.

Releasing "The Pitt" the way HBO Max did was quite possibly the meanest thing anyone has ever done to Willa Fitzgerald. By the time ads for "The Pulse" were hitting people's TV screens, the HBO Max series had already won everyone over as the spiritual successor to "ER" and "Grey's Anatomy." Before anyone got to see a single episode of "The Pulse," it was already viewed as a discount "The Pitt." It didn't help that the writing on "Pulse" never quite reached the same heights as its main competitor. Now, multiple outlets have confirmed that "Pulse" has been quietly canceled by Netflix, and it's unlikely another network or streaming service will pick the series up.

As Deadline noted in its coverage of the show's cancellation, "Pulse" was unlucky enough to come at the tail end of a new resurgence in medical dramas. As the outlet observed, it was "the last of five new medical dramas to launch in the span of six months," with the other four series in question — "Doc" on Fox, "Brilliant Minds" on NBC, "Watson" on CBS, and, of course, "The Pitt" on HBO Max — having all caught on and been renewed for a second season.

Deadline didn't even mention "Doctor Odyssey," the boat-themed medical show that premiered in Fall 2024. That series was also tragically canceled after a single season despite garnering its fair share of fans (one of which was John Oliver), but it's still another example of how medical shows are in right now and how "Pulse" wasn't able to cash in on the trend.

But while "Pulse" is now forever doomed to live in the shadow of "The Pitt" and its other competitors, there's still plenty to love about the show on its own. The thing that distinguishes the series the most is its #MeToo-esque plot thread; in the first episode, Danielle (Fitzgerald) has reported her boss Xander (Colin Woodell) for sexual harassment. The rest of season 1 then explores the events leading up to her reporting him, as well as the many ripple effects of her decision. It's a messy, uncomfortable storyline that not every viewer was happy with, but it's undeniably a bold element to put front and center in a medical drama. "Pulse" may not have been for everyone, and it may never have beaten out "The Pitt" in the ratings, but it's still worth checking out.