Blockbuster has been cancelled by Netflix after one season

Blockbuster has closed for business… again. It was announced today that Netflix has cancelled Blockbuster, their single-camera workplace comedy series which revolved around the last Blockbuster in America.

Blockbuster didn’t attract much interest upon its debut on Netflix last month, as it failed to break into the Netflix Top 10 rankings in the U.S. and was largely dismissed by critics. The series starred Randall Park as Timmy Yoon, “an analog dreamer in a 5G world. He’s spent his entire adult life dedicated to his first love, movies — a passion that’s kept him at his first and only job, managing his hometown Blockbuster Video.” When he learns that his store has become the last Blockbuster in America, he takes action to stay open and keep his friends employed. “Timmy and his staff quickly realize that being home to the last Blockbuster might actually be what their community needs to rekindle the human connections they lost to the digital age,” reads the official description. “It also unexpectedly reunites him with his long-time crush Eliza, who recently returned to work for him. Will this battle to preserve the past be the push Timmy needs to step into the present? His employees can only hope so.“

In addition to Randall Park, Blockbuster also starred Mellisa Fumero, Tyler Alvarez, Madeleine Arthur, Olga Merediz, JB Smoove, and Kamaia Fairburn. If you remember the heyday of home-video rentals, Blockbuster was king of the world, and Netflix was the underdog. Blockbuster even had the opportunity to buy Netflix for a mere $50 million in 2000 but didn’t bite. A decade later, Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy protection and Netflix was growing bigger by the day.

Our own Alex Maidy was initially optimistic about Blockbuster, but just couldn’t get excited about the series. “I wish I had better news, but Blockbuster is generic and dull without any real laughs to be had,” Maidy wrote in his review. “Originally set as a project at NBC, Blockbuster has the look and feel of virtually every network sitcom of the last thirty years. Despite the excellent series that pepper the resumes of the writing staff, this series fails to take advantage of the freedoms of being on a streaming platform as well as never capitalizing on the brand and nostalgia of Blockbuster Video.” You can check out the rest of Maidy’s review right here.

Are you sad to see Blockbuster get cancelled?