GLOW has been canceled despite Netflix’s renewal of its fourth season. The streaming service provider reversed its decision to continue producing the dramedy due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The cast and crew of GLOW already completed one full episode of the fourth and final season. However, the COVID-19 crisis forced the production team to halt the filming, so the drama is left hanging.
Show creators explained the cancellation of the show
The comedy series that tells the story of female wrestlers will not return after season 4. While it has a good number of viewers, Netflix shared that they had to cancel the show due to COVID-19
“COVID has killed actual humans. It’s a national tragedy and should be our focus,” Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, the series creators, told Deadline in a statement. “COVID also apparently took down our show.”
“Netflix has decided not to finish filming the final season of GLOW,” they added. “We were handed the creative freedom to make a complicated comedy about women and tell their stories. And wrestle and now that’s gone.”
The show creators further said that there are so many things going on in the world today that need more attention right now.
But then, they admitted that it still sucks that the viewers will never see the 15 women wrestlers again.
Other reason why Netflix decided to drop “GLOW”
The series has been renewed for season 4, but Netflix had to remove it from its programming lineup. Aside from the pandemic, below are the other reasons for its cancellation.
As noted on the Radio Times, safety concerns and growing budget are the main reasons why the streaming giant pulled out GLOW.
The filming location was another ground for eliminating the show. Los Angeles is the hardest-hit by the pandemic in the U.S., and this is where the show is being filmed.
With its current COVID-19 situation, it will take time before L.A. can open again for work. Since it is clear that filming may not resume until next year, Netflix just canceled to avoid the ballooning production cost.
Also, GLOW is about wrestling, so there are plenty of scenes where actors need to make body contact. Such scenes are impossible to film now due to safety protocols in this time of the pandemic.
Lastly, it was estimated that the earliest time GLOW season 4 could be released is in 2022.
Netflix is not comfortable with the idea of an extended break since the investments will take time to return.
A call for the production of a movie to end the series
Meanwhile, Marc Maron, one of the cast members, asked Netflix to allow them to wrap up GLOW with a movie. Through the Instagram Live video, the actor shared his thoughts about the cancellation of their show.
“Let us wrap it up in a two-hour Netflix movie,” Maron said in the video. “Give the showrunners and the cast and the writers the chance to finish the story in a movie. That would take the financial pressure off and the writers could play it out, we could shoot it out.”
Featured Image Courtesy of GLOW Official Page/Facebook