Netflix Quietly Cancels New Show After Just 1 Season

Netflix is the biggest streaming platform in the world with nearly 200 million monthly users, which allows the streaming giant capital to take swings with its originals.

It creates over 700 original programs every year around the globe and while there are plenty of hits, Netflix doesn't always seem to hit the mark - and there are consequences for the shows that don't reach their expected audience.

Netflix Cancels Show After Just 1 Season Amid Executive Shuffle

Netflix jumped head first into the deep end of live unscripted programming, but the move appears to have come back to the bite the company. Deadline reported Sahara Bushue, who was director of unscripted series at Netflix, exited from the company following a series of failures.

Live unscripted programs like Star Search, Building The Band and Pop The Balloon, all missed the ratings mark. The former failed to break through after its launch last month despite featuring a judging panel of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chrissy Teigen and Jelly Roll. The show failed to hit Netflix’s global top 10 charts in its first week with its opening two episodes recording fewer than 2.3 million views.

Pop The Balloon similarly underwhelmed and was sent to the cutting floor as a result, according to Deadline. The dating show featuring reality stars and everyday singles, which premiered in April 2025, was hosted by Yvonne Orji, was one of the first entertainment formats that Netflix decided to do live.

Here's the full viewership for the show's first season, per What's on Netflix:

• Ep 1: Get It Poppin’ – 3,500,000 Views
• Ep 2: Pop It Like It’s Hot – 1,300,000 Views (-63% drop)
• Ep 3: Pop Lock and Drop It – 1,100,000 Views
• Ep 4: No Pops Left To Give – 900,000 Views
• Ep 5: Big Pop Energy – 800,000 Views
• Ep 6: In Our Pop Era – 800,000 Views
• Ep 7: I’m Unpoppable – 700,000 Views
• Ep 8: Pop Off – 700,000 Views

Netflix Has Canceled 7 Shows in 2026 So Far

The cancellation of Pop The Balloon adds to the rising total of canceled shows from the streaming giant in 2026. Alice in Borderland, The Abandons, The Vince Staples Show, Terminator Zero, Miss Governor, Class and now Pop The Balloon have all been canceled by Netflix and won't receive another season.

Related: Netflix Has Quietly Canceled 5 Shows in 2026 so Far