Prime Video Cancels 'Etoile', Series With 85% on Rotten Tomatoes After Just 1 Season
Amazon's Prime Video just canceled a comedy series after a single season despite ordering a two-season run.
Etoile, from the creators of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, received high praise from critics, receiving an 85-percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 77-percent from fans. However, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino's ballet dramedy series couldn't replicate the commercial success of their previous show.
The series follows dancers and artistic staff of two world-renowned ballet companies in New York and Paris as they embark on an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions by swapping their most talented stars.
Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios will continue to support the series’ Emmy campaign in the comedy categories, but won't be bringing it back for a second season, according to a report from Deadline.
"While most multi-season orders result in multi-season runs, that is not guaranteed, and there have been exceptions. There is still an evaluation process after each season that triggers a formal green light with contingencies built in," Deadline wrote. "That is something Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power goes through, getting a Season 2 and, most recently a Season 3 renewal despite Amazon having an agreement with the estate of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien for a 50-hour TV adaptation."
The decision not to bring the series back for Season 2 isn't reportedly related to the regime change at Amazon MGM Studios as the series was ordered under former head Jennifer Salke, who departed in March.
According to Deadline, the decision not to renew for another season came down to its cost. "It films in New York and Paris using historic buildings as backdrop. The series also created its own ballet company comprised by top dancers from around the world and features elaborate dance sequences," Deadline revealed.
The series, which dropped on April 24, never cracked Nielsen's weekly Top 10 for original series and couldn't hold onto the top spot in Prime Video's own top 10 for long, losing to Reacher, which had not released original episodes since March.
Related: Peacock Cancels Comedy With 93% on Rotten Tomatoes After Just 1 Season