Netflix has cancelled Kaos starring Jeff Goldblum after only a month. Created by Charlie Covell (The End of the F***ing World), the series features Goldblum in the lead role as Zeus with a story that chronicles the fallout of Zeus’ decision to imprison Prometheus (Stephen Dillane). The show’s eight-episode season 1 hit the streamer on August 29, with supporting Kaos cast members including David Thewlis as Hades, Cliff Curtis as Poseidon, Janet McTeer as Hera, and Aurora Perrineau as Eurydice, aka Riddy.

Variety now reports that Kaos has been cancelled after just over a month of availability on Netflix. Representatives from the streamer have yet to comment on the cancellation, but the decision follows the show spending four weeks in the Netflix top 10. Despite charting, the show still struggled to break through, peaking at the number three spot on the English language TV chart in its second week with 5.9 million views.

Perrineau was the first to break the news on social media in a since-deleted Instagram post. The heartfelt caption from her post, via Variety, is included below:

“ Well… this one hurts. I find explaining how I’m feeling to be really difficult, but I’ll try.

“When I started auditioning for this show, I knew it was special, mainly due to the fact that Charlie Covell’s scripts resonated with me in a way most things hadn’t. I knew all of these people, and I loved them all – every flaw, everything.

“For one of the first times in my life, I have found myself really proud. I’m, of course, proud of everyone’s work and the care they gave to this project, because, let me tell you, they left everything on the floor. But I’ve also found myself proud of me, and that is something I’ve struggled with.

“When I got cast, I couldn’t believe that someone SAW me. A girl who’s not only a minority but also a survivor of SA – and you’re telling me that someone thinks I could be one of the leads of a show, have agency, my own mission, and be desirable enough to be the love interest to not only one amazing human but two? I was worthy of that? Everything that happened from that point forward really changed my perspective.

“As the journey continued, I started to learn about the absolutely amazing talent involved – as if Charlie wasn’t enough. Then I learned of our directors, Georgi [Banks-Davies] and Runyararo [Mapfumo]. It continued with our incredible cast; there are far too many to mention, but I have to acknowledge the three who have become life-long friends, family and lifelines while we drifted through Spain for months: Misia [Butler], Nabhaan [Rizwan] and Killian [Scott].

“Our beautiful HMU department, wardrobe department, Sister, Netflix, our production team and our entire crew – every single person involved was a heavy hitter. And there I was, sitting and wondering how? Why me? And the answer I often got back was: why not you?

“Everyone was brilliant and uniquely themselves. Every performance surprised and excited me. I can’t believe I got to do this with all of you. We made something weird, dark, hilarious, deranged and absolutely tragic – something entirely human. THIS is a feeling I plan to take with me.

“Thanks for letting me be your Riddy. I had the time of my life.”

A view, by Netflix’s definition, is the total runtime of a project divided by total hours viewed.

Kaos’ Netflix Cancellation Explained

How The Show Fared With Audiences & Critics

The Kaos reviews from critics were generally positive, as evidenced by the show’s 76% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised the show for its humor and its writing, even if it ultimately feels somewhat unfocused. The audience score comes even higher at 83%, suggesting that the Netflix subscribers who did watch the series tended to enjoy it. When it comes to renewal/ cancellation decisions, however, viewership is the key metric.

It’s not clear what Kaos‘ budget was, but the fact that the cancellation arrived only about a month after the show’s debut suggests that there was a very large divide between where the show’s viewership was at and where it needed to be to justify the cost.

Generally, these types of decisions come several months after a show’s debut, as the streaming model means that titles can sometimes pick up steam over time. Clearly, however, interest in the Goldblum show was too low, and Netflix would also have other data at its disposal that influenced the decision, such as how many viewers actually made it to the Kaos ending, among other factors.

Our Take On Kaos Being Cancelled

Could It Get Saved?

Though there have been cases of Netflix shows being saved by fan campaigns after cancellation, with Warrior Nun being the most notable recent example, that seems unlikely to happen with Kaos. The response to the show just hasn’t been strong enough. Plus, as other streamers also look to cut costs, the bar for any show to now be considered a success has been raised, meaning viewers are more accustomed to cancellations now than even a few years ago.

That being said, Goldblum remains a charming actor to watch on screen, and it’s certainly possible that a Kaos season 2 would have smoothed out some of the wrinkles of season 1 and developed a stronger following. The show may eventually find its audience and have a resurgence in popularity, but it will likely be too little too late if that does happen. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s the end of the line for Goldblum’s Zeus.