Beloved Disney Plus TV show cancelled after one season
Does whimsical fantasy have a hard time hitting it big on streaming services?
It’s a bummer whenever a show gets cancelled before its time, and it’s even worse when that show is actually kinda great.
Bad news: Disney will not make a second season of Renegade Nell, according to Deadline.
The show reportedly did not match up to Disney’s expectations. And considering it was well-reviewed, it points to Renegade Nell just not attractive enough eyeballs, or causing enough of a bump in sign-ups.
“Renegade Nell will not be returning for a second season on the service,” Disney said in a statement.
"We’re incredibly proud of the world created by Sally Wainwright and lead director Ben Taylor. We’d like to thank them, our production partners at Lookout Point, the entire cast – led by Louisa Harland – and crew for their incredible work on this series, all of whom we hope to work with again in the future.”
Renegade Nell was a bit of a surprise project for Sally Wainwright fans who know the writer best for her work on the darker (but brilliant) Happy Valley.
Of course, those who caught Gentleman Jack will know Wainwright does have previous experience in just the kind of stuff seen in Renegade Nell.
A young woman gets framed for murder, and becomes a free-wheeling outlaw in 18th Century England. Oh, and she’s imbued with supernatural powers to boot.
Were there originally plans for a second season of Renegade Nell? Absolutely. Series director Ben Taylor told RadioTimes the team was working on a script, back in April, that included a time jump to explain why some of the younger characters had grown up a bit.
The first season was released at the end of March 2024, and all eight episodes dropped on that date. It was primed for a binge-watch, but we have no idea of how popular it actually was because, unlike Netflix, Disney doesn’t release regular viewing figures.
A fan petition has already been raised, to attempt to persuade Disney to make a second season of Renegade Nell. But in this era of streamer budget cuts, we don't fancy their chances.