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One Year Later, Netflix Cancelling This 8-Episode Fantasy Series Still Feels Criminal
Netflix has a reputation for being particularly brutal when canceling original series, yet even a year later, their cancellation of Kaos, Charlie Covell’s absolutely brilliant dark comedy based on Greek mythology, still stings. The series was a lush, intricately scripted take on a modern society where Greek gods, their Underworld, and heroes all exist, yet Netflix seemed to inexplicably cancel the show a mere six weeks after it hit the platform last August.
Kaos was perfectly cast, a feast for the eyes, plus it had a story that enchanted both Greek mythology nerds and casual viewers alike, which is why we’re still scratching our heads as to why the streamer gave it the axe so quickly.
Kaos Didn’t Talk Down to Its Audience, But That May Have Been the Problem
In Kaos, Zeus (played by the irresistible Jeff Goldblum) spots a wrinkle in his complexion on Mount Olympus, which is the most gorgeous Mediterranean villa you can imagine. Yet unlike us mere mortals, a wrinkle for Zeus could very well mean the end of the world, as it may be connected to the prophecy, “A line appears, the order wanes, the family falls, and Kaos reigns.” The line being Zeus’s wrinkle, the family being the gods on Mount Olympus, and Kaos being the end of the god’s capricious cruel reign over the mortals.
As the season unfolds, we watch the prophecy come to pass through the lives of three mortals: Eurydice and her rocker husband, Orpheus she’s fallen out of love with; Ariadne, daughter of President Minos of Crete; and Caeneus, a deceased mortal who now works in the Underworld shepherding fellow dead folk to “renewal” and release of their souls. First off, the three mortal protagonists could not seem more disparate. This may have been a possible culprit for Kaos’s early cancellation; people simply didn’t understand it. However, the show is one of the very few series on television nowadays that doesn’t spoon-feed its audience information.
Sure, Kaos left us with more questions than answers originally, but the way in which Covell steadily answered them as their story unfolded made for a uniquely engaged, not to mention satisfying, viewing experience. By the end of Kaos Season 1, we learn that Eurydice, Ariadne, and Caeneus all had the same prophecy as Zeus, and their success in bringing the prophecy to life has meant that he and the other gods have lost their immortality. Tragically, the season, but now series, ended on goddess Hera telling one of her children to gather the troops, and Ariadne, now the ruler of Crete makes a deal with another group of mortals against the gods.
Season 2 of Kaos would have likely been an action-packed, thrilling war behind divine and human, however, we’re guessing the show’s sophistication and likely expensive budgets led to perhaps the lower viewership and high price tags. A shame, because we hadn’t seen incestuous siblings (Zeus and his wife Hera are siblings) and intertwining narratives this juicy since Game of Thrones.
Kaos Gave Greek A Modern & Imaginative Spin
The biggest disappointment about Kaos being canceled is that it was some of the best world-building we’d seen in quite a while. Show creator and screenwriter of all episodes, Covell wondrously created a universe where Orpheus is a rock star, the Furies are a biker gang, and the Underworld is full of never-ending bureaucracy, all while keeping the essence of the Greek mythology intact. The biggest commendation goes to unearthing the myth of Caeneus in the series. In myth, Caeneus is transformed from a woman into a man by the sea god Poseidon. In Kaos, Caenus was a trans Amazon who was killed for his pursuit of living as his true self. It’s a stunning and careful narrative that the authentically cast Misia Butler plays beautifully.
Furthermore, Kaos features one of Jeff Goldblum’s best performances in years. He’s calculating and shrewd as Zeus, but what makes the god so dangerous is that Zeus has all of Goldblum’s effortless charm and sly humor. Dressed exclusively in designer tracksuits, Zeus doesn’t appear as dangerous as he is, which only makes the savagery of his rule and relationships with others all the more arresting and watchable. He’s also perfectly matched by Janet McTeer as Hera, whose viciousness is palpable, but never quite bubbles up to the surface. Kaos was bursting with potential to be everyone’s next great TV obsession, yet Netflix was not even giving it a full 90 days on its platform before canceling it as a criminal, as the most heartbreaking Greek tragedy.
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