2022 has been an amazing year for horror both in film and on television. One of the best pieces of horror on the TV side of the equation wasThe Midnight Clubfrom modern genre mastermindMike Flanagan. Like the director’s other Netflix series, theChristopher Pikeadaptation was critically praised across the board when it debuted on the streamer in early October. Given the shocking cliffhanger ending, there were hopes that the series would be picked up for a second season. However, patrons ofThe Midnight Clubwill be sad to know that Netflix has officially canceled the YA horror series after just one season.
Despite the great reviews, viewership was the series' biggest issue according to a report fromThe Wrap.TheMidnight Clubonly stayed in Netflix’s Top 10 charts for three weeks. It debuted at number 4 with 18.8 million hours viewed and peaked at number 3 in its second week before dropping back down to number 5 in its third week. Because of shows likeThe WatcherandDahmer,TheMidnight Clubfell out of the Top 10 completely in its fourth week. This all led to Netflix feeling those numbers didn’t justify the cost of a second season.
However, there’s another elephant in the room that can’t be ignored when it comes to this situation. This cancelation comes just hours after it was announced that Flanagan, along with his partnerTrevor Macy, had signed anew exclusive deal with Amazon Studiosthat will have the director’s Intrepid Pictures develop new projects that would stream only on Prime Video. Flanagan’s current deal with Netflix is coming to an end with next year’sThe Fall of the House of Usherbeing the last series the filmmaker will be producing with the streamer. While it’s likely the final decision on this series was made weeks ago, it does feel like this Amazon news was the final nail inTheMidnight Club’s coffin.
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That’s a real shame because, like all of Flanagan’s past masterpieces,TheMidnight Clubwas such a fresh take on the horror genre. With Pike’s great material as its template, this was arguably the director’s biggest risk to date due to its subject matter. This was a YA horror series, but it had all the delicious trauma and horrifically brilliant imagery that fans have come to expect from Flanagan. This was a very intimately dark and scary story about facing death. The backdrop of a hospice lead to some truly frightening scenarios while, at the same time, it was a wonderfully heartfelt love letter to storytelling and the life-changing human connections that give us a newfound purpose from the simple act of communication. That’s what made this genre-bending horror campfire story so magical besides its wonderful young ensemble cast that was supported by horror legendHeather Langenkamp.
The last reason why the news is so disheartening for horror fans is that this was Flanagan’s first show that wasn’t limited.TheMidnight Clubwas meant to be a multiple-season affair which became really apparent in the season finale. Fans were left dangling on the previously mentioned cliffhanger involving Langenkamp’s Dr.Stanton and her mysterious connection to the Paragon cult. Whentalking to Colliderthis past October, Flanagan said:
“This is the first time we’ve ever designed anything to be ongoing. And it’s strange, it’s a whole new vibe, because you want the season to wrap up and be satisfying. But you need to leave enough on the field that people might want to come back. So that negotiation is tricky. And you know, usually we’re done with the show, we can talk about it, it’s in the past. With this one, we have no idea if it’s going to come back or if we’re going to be doing more. So it’s all very kind of suspenseful for us, we get to experience the tension for a change. It’s fun.”
Flanagan also promised, “If we don’t get a second season, we are going to put it all over Twitter and everybody will be able to see what we had in mind.” That’s sadly the reality that horror fans now live in, but nothing says Flanagan can’t go back into the Pike well with his new streaming deal.The Midnight Clubwas the fourth series from Flanagan and Netflix after the major success ofHill House,Bly Manor, andMidnight Mass. While we wait for Flanagan’s last hurrah on the streamer withThe Fall of the House of Usher, you can streamThe Midnight Clubon Netflix now. You can check out our interview with the ensemble cast down below.
