The Netflix Ax: Farewell, ‘Designated Survivor’ and ‘Tuca & Bertie’

Despite its interesting plot and a new look for Designated Survivor season 3, the Kifer Sutherland-led political drama will not be moving forward with a new season as Netflix officially cancels the saved show. In the same vein, Lisa Hanawalt’s Tuca & Bertie animated series has also been aced by the streaming giant Wednesday (via Deadline).

Designated Survivor was saved by Netflix following its cancelation at ABC last year and recently premiered its third season in June. It sported a brand-new feel to it, taking away the cable TV restrictions and containing real-life parallels to today’s political climate. The third season focused on Tom Kirkman’s (Sutherland) re-election campaign, ending with his closest associates reevaluating their allegiance to him—is Kirkman going to be the President that we really need, or just someone who subscribes to the dirty power plays of Washington?

In a statement, Netflix said, “We are proud to have offered fans a third season of Designated Survivor, and will continue to carry all three seasons for years to come. We’re especially thankful to star and executive producer Kiefer Sutherland, who brought passion, dedication and an unforgettable performance as President Kirkman. We’re also grateful to showrunner/executive producer Neal Baer for his guiding vision and steady hand, creator/executive producer David Guggenheim and EPs Mark Gordon, Suzan Bymel, Simon Kinberg, Aditya Sood, and Peter Noah along with the cast and crew who crafted a compelling and satisfying final season.”

Meanwhile, the Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong-led animated series from Netflix also bade goodbye today. It follows the story of bird friends Tuca (Haddish) and Bertie (Wong). Both have different personalities, with Tuca being a cocky and carefree toucan, while Bertie a reserved and anxious songbird. But it’s in these differences that they find common ground and become best of friends.

In another statement, Netflix expressed its gratitude to Hanawalt, the show’s creator: “Lisa Hanawalt created a relatable yet whimsical world in Tuca & Bertie. We’re grateful to Lisa, and her fellow executive producers Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Noel Bright, Steven A. Cohen, and EPs/stars Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, along with all of the writers and animators for sharing the funny and dynamic female bird duo of Tuca and Bertie with the world. While Tuca & Bertie won’t have a second season, we’re proud to feature this story on Netflix for years to come.”

But with these cancelations come great news and numbers for Netflix in general. Deadline reports that the streaming service continues to be an original series powerhouse. With every new original released every year, Netflix has a Season 1-to-Season 2 renewal rate of 80%. The cancelations, on the other hand, come from a close study of a show’s cost vs. viewership; which means that despite the fanfare and positive reception that Designated Survivor and Tuca & Bertie got, it wasn’t enough to hit the numbers that Netflix wanted for the two programs.