One of Netflix's most loved original shows of 2024 so far has already been axed after just one season. And fans think it is following a similar trajectory to that suffered by another hit Netflix crime drama.
The Brothers Sun, starring Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, has had viewers obsessed with the comedy drama since it dropped on Netflix back on 4 January.
The show follows the Sun family, headed by Eileen 'Mama' Sun (Yeoh) and her two sons, Charles Son (Justin Chien) and Bruce Sun (Sam Song Li), as Bruce's life is turned upside down after learning about the family's gangster reputation in their native country of Taiwan. Charles has to move to Los Angeles to protect Eileen and Bruce after an assassination attempt on his father, with Bruce's life being turned upside down overnight.
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Critics loved the show, giving it an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Nicola Austin from Empire Magazine writing: "One of 2024’s first binge-worthy shows. Come for another tour-de-force turn from Michelle Yeoh, stay for newcomer Justin Chien’s show-stealing breakout performance."
Joyce Slaton, of Common Sense Media, said: "Propulsive and thrilling, this series has the vibe of action-thriller yarns like John Wick, but spreading the mayhem out over a season gives viewers ample time to get to know characters."
Fans loved it even more, with a 91% score from audiences. One said: "It's The Godfather meets Kung Fu Hustle. Bloody good fun, with an accent on the bloody."
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Sadly, Netflix called time on the show within two months. Despite spending five weeks on Netflix's Top 10 list, it enjoyed an average performance on the streaming platform.
Deadline reported that weekly viewings were below seven million. The last two weeks in the Top 10 then saw the show's viewership nosedive to two million people watching.
Actor Hana Wu posted: "So sad to hear that The Brothers Sun was cancelled. The rules and structures for renewing shows these days seem a little ????... such a good show that really did showcase lesser known Asian American talent, like my dear friend Grace Shen who played Michelle Yeoh's mama."
Wu was replying to a post from The Brothers Sun's casting director, Jenny Jue. She wrote: "The Brothers Sun was an opportunity to showcase new talent and I’m so proud of the show we made. Thank you to our fans and for those who told friends to watch."
And for fans, the fate of The Brothers Sun is eerily similar to another of Netflix's hit original shows: Mindhunter.
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The hit show followed FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), and psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), in the security service's newly formed Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) in 1972.
The team go through interviews with notorious criminals that were then used to form the then-new description of a serial killer, following the real-life investigations by the BSU into notorious criminals such as Ed Kemper and Charles Mason.
Show-runner David Fincher said the reason behind Netflix canning the show was simple: it cost too much compared to how many people tuned in.
Fincher told Empire in 2020: "Listen, for the viewership that it had, it was an expensive show. We talked about 'Finish [Fincher's Netlix film] Mank and then see how you feel,' but I honestly don't think we're going to be able to do it for less than I did season two. And on some level, you have to be realistic about dollars have to equal eyeballs."
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Fans of The Brothers Sun said it is now suffering the same fate; despite being critically-acclaimed, it's not resonating enough with the scale of views Netflix needs its shows and films to amass.
One Reddit user said: "I've stopped investing in watching shows on Netflix because of this. They cut anything that doesn't meet their viewer algorithm.
"They were sitting on a goldmine with Mindhunter and Inside Job. But hey.. they don't care, so I don't care about their new content, considering enjoying anything for one season just leads to heartbreak and disappointment."
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Another said: "Maybe people don't want to get invested in Netflix shows, considering how often they end up canceled before the story is finished."
A third posted: "Self fulfilling prophecy. Don’t watch because it’ll get cancelled. Cancelled because nobody watched."
LADbible have approached Netflix for comment.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: Netflix, TV and Film, US News, Mindhunter, World News, Reddit