Image Credit: Netflix
The frontier proved fatal for Kurt Sutter’s high-risk westerns, those who renounce. After a production cycle plagued by creative friction, a mid-film showrunner exit, and a staggering budget of over $150 million, Netflix has officially put the series on hold after just one season. The decision comes after a tumultuous journey in which the project was reshaped in the editing room and ultimately failed to attract a critical audience, despite its star-studded cast and serious pedigree. Now, Sutter himself has broken his silence in a scathing critique of “Algorithms on Vision,” a post-mortem of the show’s failure that reveals a deep divide between Netflix’s leadership and its creative talent.
deadline gave news On cancellation, following their previous report end of 2024 That Kurt Sutter had left the project. Creative tensions reportedly emerged after Netflix saw an early cut of the first episode, originally written by Sutter and directed by Otto Bathurst, which ran for one hour and forty minutes.
Attempts to limit the premiere to a standard hour failed, leading to the decision to split it into two episodes. This move required inventing a mid-episode cliffhanger and adding new scenes to reshape the narrative flow. Since those additional scenes had not yet been filmed at the time of the review, Netflix leadership evaluated incomplete, reworked versions of the first three episodes before deciding on a change in direction. Sources said officials believe the revised cuts appear disjointed and motionless; Notably, Sutter did not hold any meetings with top Netflix executives to respond to those specific concerns.
Such massive changes behind the scenes mean that a potential season 2 will be helmed by a team that finished the first season as a mere “fix-it” crew. Without Sutter’s original original vision, the path forward for the series was uncertain at best.
how well you did those who renounce Show on Netflix?
Simply put, the show performed extremely poorly considering its scale, depth of talent, and budget. Spent in the series itself Two weeks in global top 10 It only received 14.9 million views during the period from November 30 to December 14, before disappearing completely. According to Netflix engagement reports, by the end of 2025, it had only reached 19.8M views.
When compared against other Netflix originals from last year, the show fell to the bottom of the rankings. Given the high production costs and behind-the-scenes drama, these numbers made it an immediate candidate for the chopping block.
Situation is the mirror of fate Jupiter’s legacyAnother high-budget project where the audience left quickly. That series suffered a similar combination of poor reviews and low viewership, making the cancellation decision a mathematical certainty for the streamer.
Kurt Sutter reacts to The Abundance cancellation
In a rare move, former showrunner Kurt Sutter reacted to the news Instagram post on January 31stRailing against the streaming giant. He wrote:
“Dear Netflix, the next time fear forces you to choose an algorithm instead of a creator’s vision, remember how that choice unraveled a potentially beautiful project. FYI: Shareholders hate it when they find out that over $150 million was wasted on a single show trying to fix unnecessary mistakes from leadership failures – a disastrous trend for both Hollywood and Wall Street.”
The post included an AI-generated graphic featuring various headlines, including a scathing review AV Club (Graphic misrepresents Paste Magazine) Headline: “Like creator Kurt Sutter, you should also give up with abandon.”
Sutter’s comments came shortly after another post reflecting the state of the industry, where he compared the decline in Hollywood production to the drying up of an “oil town”:
“Work for everyone – actors, grips, transpos, makeup artists – every area of ​​production in Hollywood is drying up… As work is being shipped to cheaper lands, Hollywood is getting closer to becoming a postcard memory, lost in the ashes.”
Are you disappointed by this? those who renounce Was canceled after one season on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below.