Netflix and Apple TV Plus just cancelled two hit shows but one may not be missed

by DTM | Posted on

Another day, another pair of TV show cancellations – and fans of The Simpsons creator Matt Groening are going to be particularly disappointed. Disenchantment, Groening’s grown-up fantasy animation, has got the chop from Netflix – and over on Apple TV Plus, City on Fire is being extinguished.

Disenchantment has been running for five seasons now – the season five trailer just dropped – and it was announced this week that the show won’t be returning for a sixth. The show, which first streamed in 2018, followed hard-drinking princess Bean and her companions Elfo and Luci, an elf and a demon respectively. 

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It amassed a sizeable following, many of whom will be saddened by the show’s Twitter announcement: “HEAR YE! HEAR YE! THE FINAL SEASON OF DISENCHANTMENT IS AMONG US! Season Five premieres on 1 September, only on Netflix. Please enjoy our Final Teaser as we rally momentum for Bean’s shocking conclusion!”

City on Fire got smoked

While Disenchantment made it to five seasons, Apple TV Plus has cancelled City on Fire after just one. Although a second season was mooted, the first season covered the full story arc from the book it was based on so at least there won’t be cliffhangers that will never be resolved.

The show, which is a crime drama, featured a solid cast and some great writing, but it just didn’t get the same kind of attention or acclaim that the likes of Silo have received. 

As ever, Apple hasn’t talked numbers but given that the cancellation comes just weeks after season one came to a climax, they can’t have been brilliant – and neither were the critics’ reviews, which are currently sitting at a very low 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. The best thing the LA Times could say about the show was that it was “serviceable”. The Age said that “the book’s page-turning pull is gone” and Newsday called it “a convoluted mess, despite great potential”.

Given the reviews, it’s probably not worth seeking out season one if you haven’t already watched it. Here are some alternative suggestions for the best Apple TV Plus shows you can stream today.