Netflix pulls the plug on The Abandons and The Vince Staples Show, here's everything to know

Netflix has silently ended two original series, and if you’re asking yourself what led to this sudden rush, you’re sure not alone. In January 2026, Netflix announced The Abandons will not be returning for a season two, and The Vince Staples Show has come to an end after season two. No fanfare required, no drawn-out farewell; both series are gone.

To start with, it is a bit of a shock at the beginning. However, if you look at it closely, there is a motive to it as well. It did not have a pattern, as the two series were experiencing some problems, so perhaps it is an insight into what Netflix is doing now.

Netflix officially confirms the cancellation

Netflix has recently confirmed that both series have been axed and won't see further development. There were no announcements for more episodes, planned finales, or spin-offs; the projects seem to have wrapped up as they were.

Well, both series are currently ready and waiting on Netflix to binge-watch as much as you want.

What The Abandons was trying to do

The Abandons is a Western Drama series. This show is directed by Kurt Sutter. This series was released on Netflix in December 2025. This show was cancelled after seven episodes.

The sequence of these incidents occurred during the 1850s. There were two completely different groups of people living in the same environment. The party on one side possessed every resource: wealth, political power, and government contacts. The other group comprised only orphaned children who were trying to stay alive.

But that is a longer story, and it was never going to come to fruition.

Backstage, it all fell apart

One of the main reasons why The Abandons ended abruptly was completely unrelated to its plotline. As Deadline broke in October 2024, creator Kurt Sutter left the series with only a few weeks left before filming wrapped, when the show's content strategy differed creatively. Ottie Bathurst and Executive Producer Rob Askins then followed through to complete filming.

This is a big deal for a series. To lose the person at the helm of the creative vision that far along into the production process is a recipe for an uncertain future. It means starting again and realizing what the series even is without the person.

Netflix did not release any official statement concerning the reasons for the cancellation of the series. The shows never received any formal explanation from Netflix, despite the coverage that analyzed viewer patterns and the associated context surrounding the cancellation of the shows.

How viewership contributed to the event

Even with the issues for Netflix in the background, the platform also evaluates the performance of the content among viewers. The Abandons registered a moderate number of viewers, but it did not hit the expected number for a series to be renewed by Netflix.

The metrics for assessment include viewership measures like completion percentages, repeat viewership, and engagement. It was the combination of the production disruption resulting from the departure of the series’ creator, Kurt Sutter, along with the moderate number of viewers, which ended up making it difficult for Netflix to renew the series.

The numbers didn’t exactly help

In addition to the production problems, The Abandons did not blow up in ratings. According to Netflix, the series has a viewership of 19.8 million in the first 28 days.

It’s not the end of the world, but it’s also not good enough to move forward in a series that already has issues with creativity. Taken both ways, the reason for the firing of the cast members becomes clearer.

What The Vince Staples Show was all about

The Vince Staples Show was a completely different type of project. It was also a comedy that starred Vince Staples as a fictional version of himself. It had short episodes, was very dry, and featured weird, non-series-related storylines.

Netflix launched the initial season in early 2024; then, it came back in the latter part of 2025 for a second season. It never aired in the regular format of any typical sitcom series. This made it quite interesting, albeit challenging to gain popularity.

Why Netflix didn’t move forward with Season 3

Unlike The Abandons’ situation, no production problems were noted in this group of experiments. The underlying problem in this category is related to performance issues

Season 2 did not retain its audience as well as was hoped for by Netflix. Very few fans were loyal enough to return for a new season. The exact figures and explanation were not provided in a statement from Netflix, but this is what can be expected from their decision-making: if a series does not grow in viewership or remains stagnant, it will not continue.

The use of data in Netflix's decisions

Netflix focuses mostly on data when it comes to cancellations and renewals. They analyze the number of viewers tuning into a series, watching episodes through to the end, and tuning into the second season. The number of viewers retained and tuning into the series is also important.

Sometimes a series may be innovative and well-applauded, yet if the statistics aren't good enough, the series may be cancelled. This seems to be what happened during the second season of The Vince Staples Show. It seems that the series did not fare well.

Can you still watch them?

Yes. Both are still available for streaming on Netflix. Just remember that:

There won’t be new episodes

The stories won’t continue

No revivals are in the works

Netflix pulled the plug on The Abandons after one season and on The Vince Staples Show after two in January 2026. These breakdowns were not hard to decipher, simply practical considerations.

The Abandons encountered some production issues and had lukewarm viewership. The Vince Staples Show struggled to retain its viewers in Season 2. Collectively, these series exemplify how Netflix is currently functioning as a production company: quick thoughts, data-dependent decisions, and no place for doubt.