Anne with anEseason 4 should have been a slam dunk. Instead, the popular CBC series was canceled on Netflix. There have been numerousadaptations ofAnne of Green Gablesover the years. The 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery wascottagecore before cottagecore was even a thing. The story, a classic of children’s literature, follows the titular Anne, and while the 2017 TV show does change the title, Anne’s insistence on spelling her name with an “e” is a critical insight into her character.
An orphan accidentally shipped off to the wrong house, Anne quickly proves herself a passionate, strong-willed, and ultimately loving young girl. The television series, a Canadian production, premiered on CBC and Netflix simultaneously, withAmybeth McNulty as the titular Anne. The series has a 63% onRotten Tomatoesand was celebrated for its bold and stylish deviations from the source material, which did not exclude the critical pieces of theAnne of Green Gablesstory. With a devoted fanbase and good reviews,it’s confusing why it was canceled so suddenly.
CBC Gave Several Reasons For Anne With An E’s Cancelation
Ratings For The Show Were Not As High As Executives Wanted
Anne with an Ewas canceledin November 2019, the day after the season 3 finale aired in Canada. An exact reason for the cancellation has yet to be given, but a few hints have been offered. For one,the Canadian CBC wanted to extricate itself from Netflix, concerned that the streamer would eventually hurt Canadian productions. Catherine Tait, the CBC president at the time, said (viaFinancialPost),
“We’re not going to do deals that hurt the long-term viability of our domestic industry. A number of countries have done deals, as we did, with Netflix … and over time we start to see that we’re feeding the growth of Netflix, or we’re feeding the growth of Amazon, rather than feeding our own domestic business and industry.”
It’s not a bad argument. The British television industry, for instance, has managed to hold on to most of its productions, hiding them behind British streaming services, save for a few rare titles. However,Tait’s reasoning doesn’t explain whyAnne with an Ewas not renewed for season 4 without Netflix. It may be that the show’s ratings did not justify the price of production. Sally Catto, GM of programming for CBC English Television, said that the show wasn’t reaching specific audience targets in the 25-54 age range (viaCBC),
“They unfortunately didn’t lift enough. They just weren’t reaching our specific target.”
Anne with an Eis far from the first Netflix show to receive this treatment, and that may be what’s most frustrating of all.Netflix has a history of canceling its showsat the drop of a hat. By all accounts, Netflix is one of the few profitable streamers, but the constant turnover of TV shows does not speak to a successful streaming platform (viaForbes). It speaks to a company desperately trying every move imaginable, hoping for a jackpot, and I suspect that there’s something wonky going on underneath the Netflix hood when it comes to its actual profitability.
Moria Walley-Beckett’s Comments On The Cancelation
Walley-Beckett Tried To Shop The Series To Other Networks
Moria Walley-Beckett, the creator and showrunner forAnne with an E, took toInstagramto let fans know about her show being canceled, and she tried to offer further insights into the decision. She wrote in the post,
“Please know that we fought, too. We tried to change their minds. We tried to find a new home. We tried for a finale movie… We tried our best. ‘Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.’ LM Montgomery said that. Either way, we tried 🧡 Art and Commerce is never an easy marriage. I often find it inexplicable. This is one of those times. But it’s impossible to argue with words like Economics, Algorithms, Demographics, etc., etc. But those words and others like them are the reason why the Networks don’t want to continue. And we didn’t find a taker anywhere else.”
Walley-Beckett seems to have been a bit blindsided by this announcement, and frankly, a bit devastated by the cancelation.The fact that she was unable to shop it to other networks does add credence to the claim that the ratings were simply not good enoughfor it to continue. Ratings are notoriously tricky to determine on streaming, however, and the public response to the cancelation is reminiscent of other times whenpopular shows have been canceled only for the fanbaseto rise up and prove that there is a large contingent of viewers interested in the show.
Fan Reactions To The Cancelation Of Anne With An E
A Petition For The Show Broke Change.org Records
Fans ofAnne with an Ewere quick to take to the internet when the show was canceled.Reddit was flush with people explaining why the series should have continued, with reasons like the actors having an interest in returning, the Canadian representation, the opportunity for characters to keep growing, and the longevity of the series. Fans even went so far as to spam unrelated CBC and Netflix posts with the hashtag #renewannewithane. They did it with such frequency that the CBC account had to respond, saying (viaNationalPost),
That’s not all the fans did.They created a petition to bring back the show, which hit one million signatures in 2020, which was, at the time, the largest entertainment petition to target Netflix in Change.org history (viaSaltWire). At the time of writing, the petition has over 1.78 million verified signatures (viaChange). That’s still not all. Fans self-funded billboards in Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square and New York’s Times Square calling for fans to “Save Anne With An E” (viaIrishIndependent).
Celebrities even got in on the fervor. Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds called for Netflix to renew the show, tweeting (viaX),
“You guys might want to renew Anne with an E. Unless ‘final season’ is just a fun way of saying ‘halfway point’.”
English singer Sam Smith joined the fray as well. In January 2020, he tweeted (viaX),
“Just started watching Anne with an E on Netflix. I am obsessed”
With so much pushback against the cancelation, it’s a wonder that no one picked up the baton from Netflix, or even CBC, if the Canadian broadcasting company was also responsible for the show’s cancelation.
Will There Ever Be Anne With An E Season 4?
Season 4 Is Unlikely At This Point
Sadly, despite the petitions, the billboards, and the celebrity endorsements,there has been no movement onAnne with an Ebeing renewed for season 4. CBC and Netflix have been tight-lipped on the series, and, as it’s been over five years since it was canceled, prospects look very dim for the return of the show. Fans may be better off hoping that a new adaptation comes along to take its place. There are numerous TV films, feature-length films, and TV shows devoted to the book series. Perhaps another showrunner or filmmaker will take a stab at it soon.
Where The Anne With An E Cast Is Now
The Cast Has Probably Aged Out Of Their Roles
The other issue about renewingAnne with an Eis thatthe cast has aged out of their roles. Amybeth McNulty, who plays Anne, has gone on to play the recurring character Vickie inStranger Things. Gerladine James, who plays Marilla Cuthbert, appears inSiloas Mayor Ruth Jahns andThis Townas Marie. R.H. Thomson, who plays Matthew Cuthbert, appeared in the 2022 filmStellar.
Joanna Douglas, who plays Miss Muriel Stacy, appears in the thriller,Cascade, as Amber. Corrine Koslo, who plays Rachel Lynde, now stars inMoonshineas Bea Finley-Cullen. It’s sad to say, but that 2019 cancelation was probably the death knell forAnne with an Eseason 4.
