Why Netflix's KAOS Was Canceled After Just One Season

One year after it premiered on Netflix, most viewers have likely forgotten all about "KAOS," the Jeff Goldblum-led Greek mythology retelling/dark comedy/drama series. That convoluted description of the show alone may imply why. While it generated a fair amount of buzz online in its first few weeks, Netflix canceled the show quickly, squashing any hopes for fans of a "KAOS" Season 2 ever arriving.

Due to the likely substantial investment, some found that decision confounding. In addition to Goldblum, who plays a modern-day, billionaire version of Zeus on the show, "KAOS" featured names like Janet McTeer, Cliff Curtis, Billie Piper, and David Thewlis. And while the story took place in an alternate version of "Greece" with all of the modern trappings, there was still a pretty heavy budget for things like visual effects, sets, and costuming, compared to more grounded shows.

So why was "KAOS" ultimately axed? There is no single, comprehensive answer. The series did fine in terms of numbers, with about a month spent on Netflix's various top 10 charts, but it was far from a smash success. Critically, it was a similar story, with a 78% aggregate rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Again, that's a decent score, but not enough to guarantee more success or a second season. Sadly, in the streaming age, shows often need to hit home runs in their debut seasons to secure a second outing.

In truth, "KAOS" was right on the line between renewal and cancellation. The show was the most-watched canceled series from Netflix in the latter half of 2024. That dubious honor always has to go somewhere, and it's likely that the show's larger production budget could have been the bigger culprit for it not making the cut, even with stronger numbers.

It's also worth saying again what a strange show — in a good way, but still true — "KAOS" was on the streaming landscape. While contemporary Greek myth adaptations have been extremely popular for years, the combination of modern stylings, a large narrative web, supernatural character drama, and dark British humor made it unique. That's part of why the fans who did find it loved the show so much, but it also may have made "KAOS" difficult for execs at Netflix to position for an extended run.

Creator and showrunner Charlie Covell made a point not to leave too many big loose ends at the end of "KAOS" Season 1, just in case it didn't get renewed. The major arcs, like Zeus's growing paranoia, the underworld conspiracy, and the journey of Ariadne (Leila Farzad), leave off in fairly satisfying places, but there was plenty of room to keep the story going and make it even bigger, with mortal sentiment growing significantly against the gods.

"My dream was three seasons," Covell told Cosmopolitan upon the show's premiere in August 2024. "I've got many ideas and a strong sense of what I'd want to do with it." Sadly, they never got the opportunity to continue building out their distinct take on the world of Greek myth. "Of course I'm gutted not to be making more KAOS, but I don't want this news to overshadow what we did make," Covell wrote in an Instagram post after the official cancellation. "I'm incredibly lucky to have worked with such an exceptionally talented cast and crew, and I'm extremely proud of our show. Thank you to absolutely everybody involved."

If you're still mourning the Season 2 that could have been, it might be worth checking out Covell's prior series, "The End of the F***ing World," or one of the other recent Greek myth series, like Netflix's animated saga "Blood of Zeus."