In a blow that truly hurts, Netflix has reversed its decision to renew the half-hour seriesGLOWfor a fourth and final season and has instead decided to cancel the show altogether. While the series was never as big as something likeStranger Things, it was critically acclaimed and its fans were eager to see how the story of these amateur female wrestlers from the 80s would conclude. Alas, we won’t get that chance.
The decision to change course and cancelGLOWcame about as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown. The series had completed filming one episode when the shutdown began, and as productions are now beginning to resume, studios and networks are being forced to pinch pennies due to added costs and the delays that have ensued.
“COVID has killed actual humans. It’s a national tragedy and should be our focus. COVID also apparently took down our show. Netflix has decided not to finish filming the final season ofGLOW,” series creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch said in a statement to Deadline. “We were handed the creative freedom to make a complicated comedy about women and tell their stories. And wrestle. And now that’s gone. There’s a lot of shitty things happening in the world that are much bigger than this right now. But it still sucks that we don’t get to see these 15 women in a frame together again. We’ll miss our cast of weirdo clowns and our heroic crew. It was the best job,” ending their note to fans with a plea, “Register to vote. And please vote.
Per Deadline, resumingGLOWproduction under COVID safety protocols proved too difficult, not only because of the close physical contact necessary for so many of the show’s scenes, but also because of its large cast and the difficulty of filming in Los Angeles right now. The budget increase to make any of this feasible proved too large for Netflix, at least in terms of what it was willing to shell out forGLOW– although it should be noted thatStranger Thingsresumed filming this week down in Atlanta, Georgia under new protocols.
Deadline also notes that all the series regulars have been paid for Season 4 in full, but the fans will be left with that cliffhanger of a Season 3 ending, wondering what was to become of the characters played byAlison Brie,Betty Gilpin, andMarc Maron. Here’s hoping some of that story can be told in some form at some point, becauseGLOWwas absolutelyone of the best Netflix original shows to date.
