Limited series dominate viewership, with popular ongoing scripted shows like The Night Agent and Ginny & Georgia trailing behind, while Netflix cancels several scripted series despite solid performances.
Netflix’s semi-annual viewership report for the first half of 2025 reveals a notable success for limited series, while ongoing scripted shows have experienced a more mixed reception. Among the top-ranked content, limited series such as Adolescence, Zero Day, and Missing You topped the charts, while only two ongoing series, The Night Agent (Season 2) and Ginny & Georgia (Season 3), managed to crack the top 10. Meanwhile, Netflix’s cancellation of three scripted series—The Residence, Pulse, and The Recruit—has raised questions about the platform’s content strategy.
Limited Series Dominate:
The first half of 2025 saw limited series take center stage on Netflix, with Adolescence securing the top spot and Zero Day, Missing You, and Sirens rounding out the top 10. Ginny & Georgia and Sirens are expected to continue their viewership growth in the second half of the year, thanks to their late May and June releases. These series’ ability to attract millions of viewers despite having shorter runs shows Netflix’s growing focus on limited content, which has gained popularity in recent years.
Series Cancellations and Performance Insights:
Netflix’s cancellations in 2025 have highlighted its increasingly complex decision-making process, which involves factors beyond just ratings. Despite solid performances, The Residence (#23) with 33.3 million views, Pulse (#30) with 26.2 million, and The Recruit (Season 2, #34) with 24.1 million views were all canceled. Notably, The Residence received the highest viewership among the canceled shows, likely due to its high-profile cast, including Uzo Aduba. However, its lavish production budget, including extensive VFX and a star-studded ensemble, led to high costs that Netflix couldn’t justify, especially when the show failed to meet expectations for renewal.
Similarly, The Recruit’s action-packed second season, filmed partly in Korea, may have struggled with Netflix’s cost-performance balance, despite decent viewership. Pulse, a medical drama, faced stiff competition from HBO Max’s The Pitt, which garnered more attention.
Renewals and Viewership Metrics:
In contrast, shows like XO, Kitty Season 2 (35.3M views), Ransom Canyon (29M views), and Sweet Magnolias Season 4 (16.9M views) were renewed, even though some had similar or lower viewership than the canceled series. Netflix’s renewal decisions are driven by multiple factors, including cost, performance, and other metrics like completion rates, which are not publicly disclosed. The platform values the ability to retain viewers throughout the duration of a show and tracks critical reception and pop culture impact to ensure content aligns with its diverse audience.
Uncertain Future for No Good Deed and Other Shows:
Another scripted series with an uncertain future is No Good Deed, a dark comedy that ranked #204 with 7.9M views in the first half of 2025. Despite its modest viewership, the series had already accumulated 15M views in December. While no second season is currently planned, Netflix has left the door open for its potential return.
A Historic Cancellation:
This isn’t the first time Netflix has canceled a high-performing series. In 2023, the fantasy drama Shadow and Bone was also axed despite ranking #26 in viewership during the first half of the year. Like The Residence, Shadow and Bone was an expensive production, signaling that Netflix’s priority remains balancing cost with performance, rather than purely relying on viewership numbers.
Recognition for The Residence Amid Cancellation:
Despite its cancellation, The Residence received recognition this week, earning four Emmy nominations, including a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for Uzo Aduba. This acknowledgment highlights the show’s critical acclaim, even as it faces a tough exit from the streaming giant’s lineup.
Netflix’s mid-year review paints a complex picture for 2025, with limited series continuing to shine and ongoing scripted series struggling to maintain traction. The streaming giant’s cancellations reveal the fine line between cost and content performance, and with several major shows still up in the air, Netflix’s content strategy will be closely watched in the months ahead.