For many years, before the era of public viewership data for Netflix programs, it was sometimes difficult to understand why a given title was cancelled or renewed, and what criteria Netflix was using. Since mid-2021 and the introduction of the first weekly Top 10, things have become a bit less mysterious—and incredibly enough, these decisions are generally based on viewership. I know, it’s shocking.

For new series, invisible factors come into play, such as how many new subscribers a show brings in or the season’s retention rate, but for series with at least two seasons, there are two factors that can be estimated using the weekly Top 10s that come into play when considering a potential renewal:

If a series meets both conditions, it’s great and it gets renewed for an additional season, or even two. If a series meets only one of the two factors, that’s usually fine as well, typically for one season (final or not). If a series meets neither, in theory it’s done for, and cancellation is just around the corner. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how English-language Netflix series that returned with a new season in 2025 performed.

We won’t know the true numbers for season 5 for a few more weeks yet, but the first batch of episodes of this final season was up 2.25% compared to the first batch of episodes of season 4 after 28 days of release. One of Netflix’s flagship series is ending on a positive note, with something that is almost unheard of in Netflix’s history: a continuous increase in viewership, season after season. I don’t have any other examples like this on Netflix. That’s how rare it is.

That said, it’s not a done deal yet, because once the first 91 days of availability for season 5 are reached, I don’t know whether it will truly be ahead of season 4. Season 5A was 8% ahead of season 4A after 14 days, but only 2.25% ahead after 28 days. We’ll only know for sure by the end of March.

Netflix could probably have renewed it for a few more years, but the three years required to produce each season, a cast of child actors who are no longer really children, and the creators’ desire to move on to other things (at Paramount) likely brought the series to an end. But rest assured, we’ll be getting plenty of spin-offs in the years to come.

Ginny & Georgia came back just as strong as it left, with season 3 sticking very closely to the previous season’s viewership for a long time. With only 5% erosion after 28 days, that’s a remarkable performance, and unsurprisingly, the series was renewed for a season 4 following season 2. I also think we’ll get a season 5 if viewership holds up at this level.

The Diplomat lost a lot of viewers between seasons 1 and 2, which is fairly typical, but its erosion between season 2 and 3, released this year, was very low, a sign that the series has loyal fans who stay engaged. The 20M EVCs threshold after 14 days wasn’t reached, but its low erosion rate saves it, not to mention its prestige factor, thanks to its numerous Emmy nominations. The series has therefore been renewed for a season 4, and here too, I expect a season 5, likely the final one.

The second season of Beauty in Black by Tyler Perry shows a curve indicative of strong fan return, with a start higher than season 1 over the first 15 days, followed by a limited decline. Overall erosion is therefore low, and the series has been renewed for a third season but it will be the last, because its total viewership doesn’t surpass a threshold that we imagine higher, which I personally estimate at 20–25M EVCs after 14 days.

My Life With The Walter Boys has the same curve as Beauty in Black, with season 2 starting much stronger than season 1 but experiencing a steeper decline over time. After 28 days, erosion is only 10% and still at a fairly high viewership level, and the series was renewed for a season 3 even before season 2 was released.

For this one, we can imagine it ending after 4 or 5 seasons, but what may be lacking is original material, since the short story it’s based on is likely already mostly covered by the upcoming season 3.

Tires is a somewhat unique case, as Shane Gillis’s series is produced by the comedian himself, who then sells the rights to Netflix. Its viewership isn’t impressive at all, with season 2 even missing the Netflix Top 10 at release. But thanks to the Engagement Reports, I can estimate that it only dropped 14% compared to season 1, a fairly low erosion for a low-budget series that likely has very loyal fans. Hence, it was renewed for a third season.

The finish line is likely in sight for Sweet Magnolias, which was renewed for a season 5 this year. But if I had to bet, I’d say it will probably be the last one, since season 4 shows a noticeable erosion, with a 17.7% drop in viewership compared to season 3. There’s no evidence of viewership retention beyond season 2, which is quite concerning. Above all, it barely passed the 10M EVCs mark after 14 days, and even with a moderate budget, this is the kind of factor that can hasten a series’ end.

The success of season 1 of XO, Kitty was surprising at the time, and season 2, released at the beginning of 2025, performed slightly worse but its launch showed that fans were still on board. The drop is somewhat noticeable after 28 days, but it remains among the top-ranked Netflix series. The show has been renewed for a season 3, with no indication that it will be the last, because its overall viewership is well above 20M EVCs after 14 days, so Netflix is keeping the door open.

It will still be a few weeks before we can have a definitive view of season 5’s audience for Emily in Paris, but according to my estimates, we’re looking at a drop of around 20% compared to season 4, which was released in two parts, making comparisons a bit tricky. The series continues to achieve quite respectable viewership numbers, which should be enough to secure one or two more seasons, but not more. And this will be a planned ending, not a forced one, since Netflix has never abruptly cancelled a series after its first four seasons.

With its seventh season, Black Mirror meets at least the viewership condition, hitting exactly 20M CVEs in its first 14 days. However, its erosion is starting to be noticeable, with a 21.4% drop compared to season 6. But it has other advantages that set it apart from the other series discussed here, starting with its anthology format, which doesn’t require keeping actors under contract and eliminates any notion of season-to-season erosion, since the stories don’t follow one another and can be watched in any order. The next season could arrive next year, in five years, or in ten years, at the creator’s discretion and if several episodes go viral, viewership could even increase.

You ended at the right time, with its fifth season showing significant erosion compared to the previous season, almost a third of its audience lost from one season to the next. Creatively, it had also reached its natural conclusion, so the final season 5 at least allows the series to finish completed.

This one is a bit more intriguing because, while season 1 of Nobody Wants This was an undeniable success, season 2 lost a lot of viewers, almost 40%. The series, starring Kristen Bell and Seth Cohen, was nonetheless renewed, for two reasons in my view: it’s above the threshold, and it performs well at the Emmys, making it a prestige series in Netflix’s lineup. Season 3 will need to minimize the drop as much as possible if the creators hope for a season 4, unless season 3 is intended to be the last. Since 2016, Netflix has officially cancelled only six American series after three seasons out of 90 cancellations, so they might take a chance.

Let’s now turn to the first cancelled series mentioned in this article, The Recruit with Noah Centineo. Here, it’s clear that the two conditions outlined at the beginning of the article were not met, with a sharp drop between seasons 1 and 2 and total viewership not exceeding 15M EVCs after the first 14 days. This makes the cancellation understandable.

Wednesday lost as much viewership between seasons 1 and 2 as The Recruit, but the overall audience context is very different, since season 2 of Wednesday surpassed 100M EVCs in its first 28 days. Netflix had already renewed it for seasons 2 and 3 before season 2’s release, so the streamer knew very well that even a steep drop compared to season 1 still made Wednesday a series worth keeping in its catalog.

How many seasons can it go on for, though? Jenna Ortega isn’t going to do this forever, and I can very well imagine that the upcoming season 3 will be the last. As Netflix has shown with Squid Game, it isn’t afraid to end a cash-cow series after just three seasons when it makes less sense creatively. But we will likely see spin-offs.

The Night Agent also suffered a significant drop in viewership between seasons 1 and 2, but at the time, I don’t think Netflix expected such a big hit in the first place. The adjustment for season 2 is therefore still acceptable, with viewership remaining well above the threshold for now.

The series was renewed for two seasons after season 1, and season 4 is reportedly already in production, which indicates that Netflix is expecting solid retention between seasons 2 and 3 but we’ll see how that plays out when it releases in a few weeks.

Let’s be very clear: if Netflix hadn’t renewed The Witcher for two final seasons after season 3, it would have been absolutely cancelled after season 4, which shows a very sharp erosion, losing more than half of its audience since season 3 and more than two-thirds since season 2, barely surpassing 20M EVCs in its first 28 days of availability. Replacing Henry Cavill with Liam Hemsworth didn’t save a series that managed to alienate almost everyone who was interested in the video game universe.

Another series, another situation. Season 1 of The Sandman had been a solid success, but Netflix took its time to renew it, probably for budget reasons, as the series seems visually ambitious. Netflix eventually renewed it for a second season announced as the last one (which is usually a polite way of saying, “we almost cancelled you, but hey, we still have a bit of money to spend so wrap things up neatly please”). On top of that, the scandal surrounding Neil Gaiman and allegations of sexual misconduct cast a rather unpleasant shadow over all of his adapted works, from Amazon Prime to Netflix. Season 2 was released, and viewership is much lower than season 1, even though the multi-part release complicates comparisons. Fans of the universe have likely turned away from the author…

Let’s finish with the biggest flop of the year: the release of season 2 of FUBAR with Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose viewership dropped by more than 75% compared to season 1, which had posted decent numbers. A catastrophic erosion that led to the series’ cancellation, which should come as no surprise to anyone paying attention to streaming viewership.

That’s it for this overview of English-language Netflix series returning with new seasons in 2025!

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