Cursed Season 2 is Cancelled, Despite 10 Million Viewers

The Netflix TV series turned the King Arthur legends on its head, shifting the focus to Nimue, future Lady of the Lake and wielder of a legendary Sword, and put a feminine twist on the story. Cursed features the journey of a young girl, Fey, in her struggles to survive when her kind is persecuted.

Despite an initial blockbuster success, Cursed season 2 will not happen

Despite the show’s blockbuster success in its first month on the platform – with an estimated 10+  million viewers – the series quickly faltered. Our TVscorecards user score – which measures several indicators of popularity and ratings – was only 57%. In other words, Cursed managed to gain a lot of traction but left viewers somewhat disappointed. All the indicators that we track to predict a series’ renewal or cancellation were “green” except user scores (See table below).

While Cursed has not been officially cancelled by Netflix, we believe the chances that a season 2 would happen are close to zero. Netflix typically renewed shows in the first 1-6 months after the initial release date. In the case of Cursed, it’s been almost 2 full years with no news. The series had tremendous potential however – including a large audience and great plot stories for a new season.

Why Cursed Was Almost Renewed for Season 2

The series did very well on several dimensions, and a season 2 was expected due to the following:

1. The show started strong when released and sustained momentum throughout its 10 episodes, in particular so early after the season has just been released. The chart below shows the trend of the TVscorecards.com popularity indicator, by episode. A decrease in the indicator is expected as viewers drop off between the episodes. However, Cursed was able to sustain viewership better than comparable TV shows.

   

2. The plot and finale of the first season are important factors to be considered when evaluating a show’s chances of getting renewed. The plot in the first season leaves the door open for more: we were hoping that season 2 of Cursed would address the following:

A new perspective on Nimue’s destiny. First, did she survive her fall? In the first season, to protect her father, Nimue snatched his arrows and fell from a bridge into a river below. Despite his injuries, Merlin was able to use his powers to use Nimue’s sword and kill the Red Paladins who came to finish him off for good. But did Nimue survive? While we don’t see Nimue again for the rest of the episode after her fall in the river, her destiny remains in question, particularly since viewers don’t actually see her dead. If she did survive her fall, we expect to see that her powers and status will evolve in season 2, and the series will continue to follow her journey to become a legend on her own as the Lady of the Lake. After all, she is still destined to become the Lady of the Lake who entrusts Arthur with the kingdom’s fate.

Return of Gawain. Gawain (Matt Stokoe) died in the season 1 finale, but Nimue used her powers to encase her friend in protective plants. This may give the character a new life.

Merlin’s new magical powers. After spending decades without his magic, Merlin ended up wielding the Sword of Power again after seeing Nimue’s fall of the bridge. As a result, he gained new magical powers and used them to defeat the Red Paladins. We will find out in season 2 whether he will use his regained powers to continue the fight against the Red Paladins. However, Merlin also swore he would never wield the sword again, but will he be able to part with it?

Renewal/cancellation Status: Cancelled

TVscorecards user score: 57%

About this show:

The young female rebel Nimue has mysterious powers and owns a legendary sword. She joins forces with mercenary Arthur on a mission to save her people and her father.

Starring: Katherine Langford, Devon Terrell, Gustaf Skarsgård
Creators: Frank Miller, Tom Wheeler