Resident Evil spoilers ahead.
When asked about the future of Resident Evil, showrunner Andrew Dabb joked: "My last show went 15 seasons, so I think this one should go at least 16."
Unfortunately, that may have worked on his previous show Supernatural, but it just wasn't meant to be for this series... as it's now been cancelled after only one season.
But what exactly went wrong for the Netflix series?
Here's the full breakdown...
Resident Evil season 2: Why was it cancelled?
In August 2022, Resident Evil's cancellation was confirmed after only one season by Deadline.
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Shortly after, Lance Reddick, who plays the cloned reincarnation of franchise baddie Albert Wesker, released a statement on Instagram thanking fans for their support.
"As all of you are well aware by now, our show Resident Evil on Netflix has been cancelled," he wrote. "And the haters and the trolls notwithstanding, I want to give a special thank you to all the fans who watched the show, got what we were doing, and really loved it because there are a hell of a lot of you."
On its launch in July, Resident Evil failed to impress critics, earning a 55% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes and a much lower 26% percent from viewers.
Regardless, it did do well in the Netflix Top 10s across the world – lasting longest in Ukraine, who kept it in their most-watched for 33 days before it dropped out the chart. In the UK it lasted 21 days, and in the US it lasted 19.
However, it's the 28-day overall performance that keeps it on Netflix's books, with the budget of the show having to be balanced by its viewership, which sadly wasn't maintained long enough to be considered a profitable performance.
Throw this in with the fact it was released around the same time Stranger Things part two dropped, and it lost people's attention after the first week (which, to be fair, clocked a respectable 72.7 million hours of viewing).
Like the stars and the moon, Resident Evil will always be a part of our world in one form or another. But, unlike all those films and many, many games, the first live-action series set in this universe just didn't deliver the goods.
Resident Evil season 2 cast: Who would have returned?
If Resident Evil continued, then it was likely the following key players would have been back to fight for their lives another day.
• Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker, Jade and Billie's father
• Ella Balinska as Jade Wesker
• Tamara Smart as young Jade Wesker
• Adeline Rudolph as Billie Wesker
• Siena Agudong as young Billie Wesker
• Paola Núñez as Evelyn Marcus
• Mpho Osei Tutu as Yen
• Anthony Oseyemi as Roth
• Marisa Drummond as Guard
• Lea Vivier as Susana Franco
• Ahad Raza Mir as Arjun Batra
Speaking to The Gamer ahead of season one dropping, showrunner Andrew Dabb teased that more iconic characters from the games would have potentially wound up in the series too.
"If we want to put a giant vampire lady [ie Lady Dimitrescu] in season two, we can," he said. "I'm not saying we're going to, but it's an option."
Guess now we'll never know.
Resident Evil season 2 plot: What would have happened?
Resident Evil ended with a number of huge cliffhangers across both timelines. In 2022, Jade leaves New Raccoon City in search of Ada Wong, leaving the question over Billie would go to Japan with her. Future events called this into question. And then, of course, there was Evelyn's freaky science project gone wrong, which is now out there in the big, wide world.
Skipping ahead to 2036, Jade has been shot, and Billie escapes with Jade's daughter, Bea, which would also have significant repercussions for a possible second season.
Clearly, the writers are hoping that the Netflix gods will smile down upon them and grant a season two renewal, because otherwise, this first season is going to end on a very unsatisfying note.
Showrunner Andrew Dabb expanded upon this during his chat with TVLine, explaining: "Whether that’s two seasons or three seasons or four seasons or five seasons, we'll let the audience dictate to us.
"I will say that the deeper we get into it, the more story we're finding as we bring in more elements from the games and expand these worlds and these characters."
Resident Evil season 2 trailer: When can I watch it?
Sorry folks, but when there's no renewal, there's going to be no new footage.
Looks like you're going to have to rewatch the series (or the previous movies) or play the video game in order to get your Resident Evil fix until it is resurrected once again in a new form.
Resident Evil is now available to watch on Netflix.
Netflix/Left Bank Pictures The Crown season 3 with Amazon exclusive box artwork
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
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