Netflix's Canceled 10/10 Sci-Fi Series With 24 Episodes Just Keeps Getting Better

Published Sep 19, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns. Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies. After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back. Netflix has a massive catalog of compelling sci-fi shows. Unfortunately, among these, many series have been forced to end prematurely. While Netflix now seems to play it relatively safe with its sci-fi outings, the streaming service was incredibly ambitious with the genre almost a decade ago. This is when some of its best sci-fi shows, like Sense8, The OA, Travelers, and Russian Doll, came out. Although most of these shows struggled to become as mainstream and widely appealing as Stranger Things, they built solid cult followings with their ambitious storytelling. Sadly, though, that was not enough. Despite being touted as one of Netflix's greatest sci-fi shows, Sense8, too, met a tragic fate and was canceled after just two seasons. In hindsight, it is hard not to see how Sense8 had many more stories to tell. It could also have been more commercially successful if Netflix had given it the chance to realize its full narrative potential. While Sense8 will probably never return, one can always rewatch its available installments and appreciate how it keeps getting better with time. Sense8 Is Better Now Than It Was Upon Release Sense8 was created by three sci-fi visionaries who were always ahead of their time: Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski (JMS). While the Wachowskis once gave us The Matrix, JMS was the creative powerhouse behind Babylon 5. Considering the history of all three creators in the sci-fi genre, Sense8 was bound to be a highly ambitious sci-fi show. Like The Matrix and Babylon 5, the show was also expected to be way ahead of its time, and it did not disappoint. Drifting away from the more cynical and puzzle-box narratives of the sci-fi genre, Sense8 grounded itself in hyper-empathic storytelling. The core idea behind the show's main premise is driven by the importance of finding connections across radically different human experiences, cultures, ideologies, and sexualities. Perhaps the need for this storytelling approach did not feel as urgent back when it premiered. However, now, almost a decade after its release, the show seems more relevant and necessary for the times than ever. Even with its portrayal of LGBTQ themes and unfiltered celebration of queer joy, pansexuality, and trans identity, Sense8 was one of its kind. From a storytelling point as well, Sense8 rarely has any dull moments in its two seasons and follows a high-stakes conspiracy plot that encourages a viewer to binge it in one go. The show also does not shy away from unfolding all across the globe, featuring myriad locations like Chicago, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Seoul, Mexico City, Mumbai, Nairobi, and Reykjavík. Sense8's Improvised Finale Still Worked, But Season 3 Would've Been Better Sense8 season 2 ended with a major cliffhanger, which gave viewers the expectation that the show was set to return for another installment. However, Netflix decided to pull the plug on the series after just two seasons, prompting many viewers to demand the series' return. After the backlash that followed, Netflix decided to produce a two-and-a-half-hour series finale that was released in 2018. Surprisingly, even the improvised finale worked quite well and managed to resolve most underlying story beats from the series. Considering Sense8's overall storytelling potential, though, the show's cancellation was still disheartening. Sense8 still seems ahead of its time, and it is hard not to look back and wonder how much more the show could have explored had Netflix given it a chance to continue. Sense8 Release Date 2015 - 2018-00-00 Created by the Wachowski sisters, Sense8 features an ensemble cast playing eight different people from around the world, who discover that they are suddenly mentally linked with one another and begin experiencing each other's lives and feelings. As the sensates begin to get to know each other, they must face a growing threat to all their lives by using their newfound empathic powers to their advantage. Cast Max Riemelt, Jamie Clayton, Anupam Kher Showrunner Lilly Wachowski Directors Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski Writers Lilly Wachowski Seasons 2 Story By Lilly Wachowski Streaming Service(s) Netflix