5 Reasons The OA Cancelation Was Netflix’s Biggest Mistake Ever 

When the first season of The OA hit Netflix in 2016, there was literally nothing to prepare viewers for this show.

The creative duo who created, wrote, and directed the series – actress Brit Marling and director Zal Batmanglij – had made a few interesting films, but were almost unknown outside of Sundance.

The show became a hit, created an army of loyal fans, and then... was canceled after its second season. We explain why The OA cancelation was Netflix's biggest mistake.

1. The OA is a unique blend of genres that we have not seen before

Genre categories do little to help you imagine what The OA is like. The show is a mix of a dozen genres, switching without warning from fantasy thriller, from mysticism to uplifting teen drama.

Some were confused, many were fascinated. But still couldn't look away, along with the characters trying to figure out the plot of this strange show.

2. The OA raised difficult questions and was able to deal with them

The OA series tackled the big issue of life after death – and did it well. And the point is not even that the creators were able to give a clear answer to the question of where we go after death, but that they looked at this problem much more broadly.

They embraced the supernatural aspect and tried to tell the audience that there is no explanation, but the search for it can give us a lot.

3. The second season left us with a lot of questions to answer

After the end of the first season, viewers were confused. The audience was left with many questions: Did everything that happened to Prairie really happen? What does the ritual dance mean? Were the characters' near-death experiences connected to other dimensions?

Fans hoped that the second season would provide answers, but it did not: the writers only created new interpretations and theories. In fact, the second season expanded the universe of the first – it turned out that we had seen only the tip of the iceberg. But the web of all these mysteries was so masterfully woven that the audience was left with only one desire – to get answers.

4. The OA has a large, loyal and active fanbase

Immediately after the premiere, the show gained an army of fans and became one of the most discussed.

Combining esotericism, science fiction, folklore, and clues scattered throughout the plot, The OA interested both viewers and critics so much that in 2019, after the end of the second season, fans staged strikes at the Netflix office and collected signatures for a petition to make another season.

5. The success of A Murder at the End of the World is direct proof that The OA should have continued

A Murder at the End of the World, which was created by the same people as The OA, is a full-fledged ideological successor to the show about Prairie.

In spirit, in content, and in a large number of mysteries, AMATEOTW is the twin sister of The OA. The new show is one of the most talked about projects right now, and it only proves that if the third season of The OA were released now, it might even surpass AMATEOTW in popularity.