Netflix sets release schedule for Squid Game, Cobra Kai and more – but The Witcher has been cancelled
Netflix has lots of news regarding its very biggest shows, and most of it is good. The streamer has said when new seasons of some of its most popular shows will air, and the list includes some of its biggest hitters: Squid Game season two, a new season of The Night Agent, the final season of Cobra Kai and more. But it's bad news for The Witcher fans. The final two seasons are to be filmed back to back with the show ending with its fifth and now final season.
The news comes via CEO Ted Sarandos, who spoke about the series during the streamer's first-quarter earnings call. However, while he did give time frames for the shows, he didn't give the actual dates. Fear not, they'll no doubt trickle out as the trailers drop and the publicity machine for the best streaming service gets into gear.
So what's coming – and what's going?
Netflix's biggest shows for 2024
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the shows that will "premiere in the second half of the year" include the second season of Squid Game along side new seasons of Cobra Kai, The Night Agent, Outer Banks, Emily in Paris and Monster. And they'll be joined by a bunch of new exciting shows including Senna, about the legendary Formula 1 racing driver Ayrton Senna, and a new adaptation of the novel The Perfect Couple starring Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber.
One of the reasons for the packed slate of shows is that many are finally cleared for streaming after the resolution of the writers' and actors' strikes, which delayed many already scheduled shows and movies. According to Sarandos, "the floodgates have opened a little more" in terms of Netflix licensing shows from other huge media firms too.
It's not all good news, though. The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has posted a statement about the forthcoming end of the show, with two final seasons being filmed back to back and Liam Hemsworth taking on the role of Geralt from Henry Cavill. The final two seasons will adapt the final three books in Andrzej Sapkowski’ series: Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow and Lady of the Lake.
As The Hollywood Reporter, er, reports, the statement says that "it is with huge pride that we begin shooting our penultimate season of The Witcher with a stellar cast, including some exciting new additions... We’re thrilled to be able to bring Andrzej Sapkowski’s books to an epic and satisfying conclusion. It wouldn’t be our show if we didn’t push our family of characters to their absolute limit – stay tuned to see how the story ends."
