“Jessica Jones” get the ax

More to do with Netflix breakup; Punisher also canceled

Back late last year when Netflix pulled the plug on several Marvel series on the streaming service, I predicted on Twitter The Punisher would be canceled in March.

And in March 2019, @ThePunisher will be canceled by Netflix. https://t.co/H9wypNbPti

— T Dog Media (@tdogmedia) December 12, 2018

Was a mere eleven days from being right.

In a President’s Day news dump, Netflix announced the cancellation of Jessica Jones and The Punisher, the last two remaining Marvel series on Netflix after the streamer pulled the plug on three other shows last fall: Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Daredevil. The cancellations marks the end of an increasingly strained relationship between Marvel and Netflix, formed in 2013.

Since Marvel parent Disney announced plans to launch a new rival streaming service called Disney Plus and pull their movies upon launch, Netflix has begun dropping product from rival studios in favor of its own in-house, produced product.

In a rambling press release, Netflix made the cancellation of both shows official, and thanked the cast and crew for their “contributions”.

Meanwhile, Marvel issued its own press release and was more straightforward in not only addressing the cancellation of Jessica and Punisher, but their relationship with Netflix:

A spinoff of Daredevil, Punisher debuted in second season last month, while Jessica’s third season debuts later this year.

With the Marvel Netflix Universe officially kaput, Marvel TV is now shifting its focus to programming to Disney Plus and Hulu, where Marvel has a four-series deal (Hulu is soon-to-be majority owned by Disney once their deal with 21st Century Fox to buy much of the company is complete.)

Jessica Jones perhaps became the first series to go from a top ranking in one of T Dog Media’s year-end best show lists to receiving a T Dog Media Turkey Award as the second season was completely disappointing. As I noted, Jessica was hit for taking “the term “sophomore slump” to a new level as the second season of this show went completely off the rails with terrible storylines, uninteresting new characters, and completely unrealistic situations (such as Trish quitting her radio show on the air.) “It’s Patsy” all right.”

Many fans also felt the same way with not only this show, but the other shows in the MNU as well, as it felt the universe was running out of gas. Also not helping was constant showrunner and writing room changes for most shows.

With the book closed on this era, it’s time for Marvel to focus on some new fresh faces for its television programming as the Hell’s Kitchen Four call it a day.