Guess we won't be seeing you space cowboy, as it's being widely reported that Netflix has canceled the live-action Cowboy Bebop series after just one season - less than three weeks after its long-awaited November launch.
It's unclear why the high-profile show was so swiftly axed, but The Hollywood Reporter notes that while it made a strong debut by garnering over 74 million viewing hours since November 19, it failed to maintain any significant interest in subsequent weeks, dropping 59% in total viewership for the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 5, according to Netflix Top 10 statistics.
The show's less than favorable critical reception (46% on review aggregator RottenTomatoes) combined with a similarly underwhelming fan response (54% on RT) likely did its renewal odds no favors, either, as the show's many deviations from the source material proved to be extremely divisive amongst fans of the original anime series.
The series starred John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, and Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine; three bounty hunters who find themselves bound together as they each try to escape their own respective troubled pasts.
In his review, ComicBookMovie's Mark Cassidy said, "Like its ragtag protagonists, Cowboy Bebop is a little rough around the edges, but also eminently entertaining and an absolute blast to spend time with. Netflix's adaptation doesn't quite recapture the anime's effortless cool, but it comes pretty damn close."
All ten episodes from the first and only season are currently available to stream on Netflix.
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