The Umbrella Corporation will be closing its doors as Deadline has reported that Netflix has canceled Resident Evil after just one season.
The Resident Evil series was released a month-and-a-half ago, and although it debuted at the #2 spot with 72.7 million hours viewed, it dropped off of Netflix’s Top 10 after only three weeks. Combined with the cost of the series and lackluster reviews from critics and audiences, the cancelation of Resident Evil isn’t a huge surprise.
Taking place over two timelines — 2022 and 2036 — the Resident Evil series revolved around Billie and Jade, the children of Dr. Albert Wesker, creator of the T-virus. “Jade Wesker fights for survival in a world overrun by the blood-thirsty infected and mind-shattering creatures,” reads the official synopsis. “In this absolute carnage, Jade is haunted by her past in New Raccoon City, by her father’s chilling connections to the sinister Umbrella Corporation but mostly by what happened to her sister, Billie.” The series starred Lance Reddick, Ella Balinska, Tamara Smart, Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, Paola Nuñez, Ahad Raza Mir, Connor Gossatti, and Turlough Convery.
Resident Evil boasts a mediocre 55% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but the reaction from fans and the general audience was nearly all negative. In his review of the Resident Evil series, our own Alex Maidy called it an “impressive mess” that failed to capture the tone of the franchise. “Resident Evil suffers from consistently awful dialogue,” Maidy wrote in his review. “Every episode showcases some of the most cringe-worthy lines I have heard from a series with as much marketing as Netflix has invested here. The only actor who seems able to deliver his lines without sounding ridiculous is Reddick, but that guy could read anything and sound cool.” You can check out the rest of Maidy’s review right here.
Did Resident Evil deserve to get canceled?