It’s weird enough that subscription-based streaming services cancel shows given that they mainly rely on paid subscribers. So, when a particularly good series is canceled on a platform such as Netflix or Prime Video, but there’s still leeway for cheesy, independent films to pay their way onto the network’s content menu, the natural reaction is a head scratch. Ditto for the recent news of the sci-fi action series, Raising Dion, being canceled on Netflix after only two seasons.
Based on the comic book created by Dennis Liu, Raising Dion followed Dion Warren (Ja’Siah Young) as he navigated his newfound superpowers under the supervision of his mother Nicole (Alisha Wainwright). The series starred Jason Ritter, Ali Ahn, and Jazmyn Simon, while the series producer, Michael B. Jordan, appeared in four episodes.
Throughout the last two years, the series did well to promote diverse conceptualization of action hero content by including a vast array of races and ethnicities in its cast, along with inclusion of actors with unique abilities and special conditions. Yet, this was not enough to save the beloved series from receiving the cut, especially following the recent news of Netflix’s plummeting subscriptions due to price hikes.
Netflix is committed to bringing back those subscribers and more by incorporating ads onto its platform and giving subscribers the choice to opt out of those ads through a variety of plans. In other words, Netflix is transforming to the conventional revenue model of cable television. The main difference being the technology involved.
Hopefully, Raising Dion will be picked up by another service or network, such as was done with NBC’s popular series Manifest, which was canceled and picked up by Netflix.
