After the fact that Archive 81 was watched for more than 22 million hours, just in its 1st week, we were almost 100% sure that Archive 81 Season 2 would see the light. It turned out a few days ago that we were wrong and that Netflix canceled the show despite its success. It seems like the horror show will not be coming back for another season and we know that many fans of the show are seriously wondering about the exact reason for this decision.
The 8-episode-long 1st season was about a young conservator called Dan who is hired to restore certain tapes that were damaged in a fire in New York. As Dan starts to restore the tapes, he also gets involved in what is going on in the tapes as he also sees his father in there. As Dan tries to solve the mystery behind the tapes and finds himself on a mission to save Melody, the main person in the tapes.
The show had a successful and interesting premise and a mysterious plot, which apparently was not enough for Netflix. If you are wondering about the reasons behind Archive 81’s cancellation, you are in the right place!
Archive 81 Season 2 release date
Archive 81 Season 2 release date
It seems that the show’s cancellation came as a surprise to showrunners as well as one of Archive 81’s showrunners said that they were “surprised and disappointed” after they heard the news.
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who watched Archive 81. Thank you to the reviewers who were so kind and thoughtful. We're surprised and disappointed that we won't be doing another season (we had cool new stories/found footage/Kaelego-lore planned). I hope you'll remember us well!
— rebecca sonnenshine (@rsonnenshine) March 25, 2022
So, it seems like the decision belonged entirely to Netflix, as the showrunner explicitly reports that they were even preparing new stories and footage for a new season. The reason for the cancellation cannot be the show’s lack of success either because Archive 81 featured in Netflix’s top 10 ratings and even took the number 1 spot in the U.S. as the most-watched series.
The critics loved the show as well, as the show received a score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, rated by more than 30 critics. So, we do not really understand the reason why Netflix canceled Archive 81. Maybe we will hear about potential reasons in the future.
Take a break and read our article: Sweet Home Season 2 Release Date, Trailer – Is it Renewed or Canceled?
Archive 81 explained
Archive 81 explained
The show had difficult concepts that when came together, may have confused viewers. Here are some of these heavy concepts of Archive 81 explained:
- Kaelego: Kaelego is some type of a god/demon who chooses followers from the Earth to start a new era where everything is nice and beautiful. The Vos Society, the one in the Visser building, believes that they can summon Kaelego to Earth with magical rituals. In the series, Kaelego is represented by a statue that the Vos Society secretly had brought into the building.
- The Otherworld: This concept is easier when compared to others as it describes, basically, another world. It is the metaphysical realm that Kaelego occupies, a realm from which the Vos Society tries to summon him. Accessing the Otherworld is quite important in order to summon Kaelego but it is also quite dangerous, as one can be stuck there, like Melody who was stuck there for 30 years. However, time moves differently there.
- Baldung Witches: As the Vos Society tries to bring Kaelego onto the Earth, Baldung Witches want the exact opposite, they want to keep him in the Otherworld. They are humans with supernatural abilities, for example, Melody’s mom is one of them. They know how to safely open a portal to the Otherworld as Melody’s mom does in the final episode.
Archive 81 episodes
Archive 81 episodes
The 1st season of Archive 81 had 8 episodes, and the names of the episode according to IMDB are as follows:
- Mystery Signals
- Wellspring
- Terror in the Aisles
- Spirit Receivers
- Through the Looking Glass
- The Circle
- The Ferryman
- What Lies Beneath
Archive 81 bad acting examples
Why is Archive 81 canceled? Is it bad acting?
Was Archive 81 canceled because of bad acting? We do not think so because most of the reviews did not touch upon anything negative related to the performances of the cast members. However, there were a few, but a very small, number of comments on social media especially regarding the low quality of the voice actors. Since this criticism was voiced only by a few people, we do not believe it was the reason why Archive 81 was canceled.
Also read: Stay Close Season 2 Release Date, Trailer – Is it Cancelled?
