According to Deadline, Netflix has decided to cancel its latest workplace comedy series, Blockbuster, after only one season. The show launched just last month on November 3 with a mediocre viewing rate and was unable to crack Netflix’s weekly Top Ten list: likely the reason the major streaming platform has decided not to pursue a second season.
Blockbuster is a single-camera satire which follows the character of Timmy Yoon, played by Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat, Ant-Man and the Wasp), the manager of the world’s last Blockbuster Video store who must manage financial setbacks and a crew of lovable, but dysfunctional workers in order to keep his store from being shut down by his unsupportive superiors. As Deadline writes, Netflix’s investment in Blockbuster contained a distinct node of irony considering that the streaming conglomerate was nearly run out of business by the then-superior video rental giant before ultimately turning the tables and driving Blockbuster out of business.
Alongside Park, the show featured the acting talents of Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, M.O.D.O.K.), Olga Merediz (In the Heights, Diary of a Future President), and Tyler Alvarez (American Vandal, Veronica Mars). Blockbuster also featured Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live, Me, Myself, and I) as a guest star. Moynihan portrayed the character of Stevie, a foul-mouthed former child actor.
Blockbuster came from creator, writer, and showrunner Vanessa Ramos (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Superstore), who executive produced the series alongside David Caspe (Black Monday, Happy Endings), Jackie Clarke (Kenan, Marry Me), John Davis (The Equalizer, The Blacklist), and John Fox (Jungle Cruise, Dolemite is My Name). Caspe and Clarke also served as writers for the show. The series was produced by Universal Television.
Deadline speculates that another reason for Blockbuster‘s cancellation was its short, half-hour runtime (since Netflix uses hours viewed as its metric for rating shows, most comedies are at an inherent disadvantage given their typical half-hour structure).