Netflix cancels Cowboy Bebop three weeks after its premiere

The Hollywood Reporter

The John Cho-led much-anticipated live-action adaptation of the beloved anime series won't return for a second season, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which describes Cowboy Bebop as "ambitious, widely hyped and, ultimately, widely disappointing." Cowboy Bebop premiered on Nov. 19 to mostly negative reviews. As The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd and Borys Kit note, "the space Western had a rough reception. The 10-episode series garnered only a 46 percent positive critics rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Fans seemed to agree, giving the show a 56 percent positive audience score on the site. According to Netflix’s Top 10 site, the series has racked up almost 74 million viewing hours worldwide since its debut – so it got plenty of sampling out of the gate – but it plummeted 59 percent for the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 5." They add that the renewal decision "was made by balancing the show’s viewership and cost. The streamer also prides itself on taking big swings on projects like Cowboy Bebop and has many other genre shows on the air and in the works."