It’s going to be a one and done deal for Daybreak on Netflix, as the streamer has canceled the show after just one season. Since debuting back in October, the future of the show wasn’t clear, though fans had been holding out hope for a series renewal announcement from Netflix. Unfortunately, the bad news of its cancellation was confirmed by series co-creator Aron Coleite, who posted a statement from theDaybreakteam on Twitter.
“We learned last week thatDaybreakwillnot be returning for a second season. We’re so sorry we couldn’t share it with you sooner but also so grateful that we got to hang out in these last few live tweet sessions with all of you,” the statement reads in part. It goes on to add: “No one is as heartbroken as we are that we can’t share more of this ride with you. But we’re so grateful to have gotten to bring it this far.”
A horror-comedy series,Daybreakfollows a group ofhigh schoolers trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. This includes lone survivor Josh Wheeler, his girlfriend Sam Dean, his high school bully Wesley, and 10-year-old pyromaniac Angelica. Together, the group must stave off tribes of hostile survivors - including the Jocks and the Cheermazons - as well as throngs of zombies, referred to here as the “Ghoulies.”
Daybreakwas co-created by Coleite and Brad Peyton, based on the comic book series of the same name by Brian Ralph. Coleite also served as the series' showrunner. Its ensemble cast included Colin Ford,Alyvia Alyn Lind, Sophie Simnett, Austin Crute, Cody Kearsley, Jeante Godlock, Gregory Kasyan, and Krysta Rodriguez. Matthew Broderick also starred. Premiering in October of this year, the first and only season consisted of ten episodes. Creatively, the series very easily lends itself to a second season and beyond, and we can addDaybreakto the list of good shows ending far too soon.
As for whyNetflixis givingDaybreakthe boot, maybe it’s just a matter of zombie fatigue. Much of the reviews were positive, but it seems that there just weren’t enough people watching. Perhaps the series would have done better had it come five years ago, when the zombie sub-genre of horror was hotter than ever. Maybe after ten years ofThe Walking Dead, which was accompanied by other zombie shows like its spin-offFear the Walking Deadand the Syfy seriesZ Nation, people are just getting a bit “zombied out.” EvenThe Walking Deadseems to be on its way out, as its latest seasons have been enduring series-low ratings despite series-high reviews.
At the end of the day,Daybreakcertainly deserved better, but watching it makes for a short but sweet experience. Kudos to Coleite and the rest of theDaybreakteam for their hard work. It’s disappointing to know we won’t be seeing any more new episodes, but you can watch the highly-entertaining first and only season anytime on Netflix. This news comes to us fromAron Coleiteon Twitter.
