The fate of Ian Somerhalder‘s vampire pandemic drama, ‘V Wars,’ remains uncertain. The show garnered a certain level of success, depicting Dr. Luther Swann navigating a world transformed by a mysterious disease that turns people into predatory vampires. As Netflix has been cancelling several shows lately, there’s uncertainty regarding the continuation of ‘V Wars.’ Fans will have to wait and see if the series gets renewed for more seasons.
The real reason why Netflix cancelled V Wars Season 2
Netflix’s relationship with IDW Publishing seemed promising when the streaming giant announced three new shows based on the quirky stories of the indie comic press. The first one to debut was V Wars, a pandemic thriller about a vampire outbreak. Next came October Faction, a family drama about monster hunters. And finally, the long-awaited adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s Locke & Key, a fantasy horror series about a mysterious house. All three shows were expected to enrich Netflix’s catalog of genre offerings, but maybe that was too good to be true.
By April 2020, only Locke & Key had survived the Netflix axe. The streaming service decided not to renew V Wars for a second season, ending the vampire crisis. The show joined several freshman dramas canceled after one season, such as Messiah, AJ and the Queen, Spinning Out, Soundtrack, and Daybreak, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Why did Netflix pull the plug on V Wars so soon? The answer seems simple: the show was too expensive to make and not popular enough to justify it, especially compared to Locke & Key.
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Netflix used to spend huge amounts of borrowed money to keep making new content. The company’s strategy in the streaming wars seemed clear: create enough variety to keep viewers hooked. Market Realist reported that Netflix’s corporate debt reached $14.8 billion in March 2020, but that didn’t stop investors from trusting the company’s future growth. However, that’s a lot of debt for any company to handle, and as Netflix became more established, the accountants may have been more eager to cancel unprofitable shows.
Netflix doesn’t share its viewer data, but it’s likely that V Wars wasn’t drawing enough attention to cover its high production costs. In April 2018, Netflix ordered V Wars directly to series, hiring Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder to play the main character, Dr. Luther Swann. The story followed Swann’s efforts to survive in a dangerous world where a mysterious pandemic turns people into vampires. The show was based on IDW’s media franchise of the same name, originally created by New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry. Despite the show’s relevant theme, viewers must not have been interested.
The decision to kill V Wars is easy to compare with the decision to renew Locke & Key, another costly horror series but one with a much bigger fan base. There’s no doubt that Locke & Key’s success made it easier for Netflix to say goodbye to its other two adaptations of IDW’s IP. That’s some tough competition.
Potential Plot of Season 2
While a second season of ‘V Wars’ may not be in the works, the series of novels and comics that served as the foundation provides a solid blueprint for predicting key elements of a potential season two. The novels and comics suggest Luther Swann’s quest for peace has transformed into a vengeance-driven mission as he strives to rescue his son, Dez.
Additionally, the Blood Nation has gained substantial strength compared to the human faction. With Michael’s apparent demise at the end of season one, the show might have explored a scenario where Adrian Holmes’ character returns while focusing on dismantling Swann’s support systems, rendering him isolated and vulnerable. While season two isn’t certain, the existing source material provides a glimpse into potential storylines.
