The Canadian series Anne with an E has been canceled, prompting fans to rally for a renewal. Based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables, the CBC-Netflix adaptation was developed for television by former Breaking Bad writer-producer Moira Walley-Beckett. This is why Anne with an E has been canceled following three seasons.
Anne with an E stars Amybeth McNulty as Anne of Green Gables, a chatty and endearing orphan who is embraced by older allies Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Over three seasons, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert grows fond of her house in Green Gables and forms strong friendships while pursuing her creative interests. Anne with an E season 3 originally aired from September to November 2019 and published in full on Netflix in January 2020. The third episode follows Anne’s journey to college, together with her pursuit of love curiosity Gilbert Blythe. Besides the focal storyline, Anne with an E explores themes of gender, race, familial legacies, and identity. Anne with an E season 1 and 2 earned Canadian Screen Awards for Best Drama Series.
The CBC and Netflix announced Anne with an E’s cancellation in November 2019, 1 day after the season 3 finale aired. Given the show’s acclaim and loyal fanbase, the hashtag #renewannewithanE began trending on Twitter. But not everybody understood why Anne with an E was formally canceled, or if there is a continuation everywhere. The series’ destiny was foreshadowed in early October 2019 when CBC President Catherine Tait expressed her displeasure with Netflix (through Financial Post) and implied that Canadian interests were the top priority.
“A few countries have done deals, as we did, together with Netflix… and over time we begin to find that we’re feeding the growth of Netflix, or we’re feeding the growth of Amazon, rather than feeding our own national business and industry.”
After the development of change.org petitions and social media campaigns, the primary reason behind Anne with an E’s cancellation was revealed by CBC’s general manager of programming, Sally Catto, in 2019. Even though the series was a favorite amongst younger audiences, the Netflix viewership numbers didn’t signify a strong fanbase amongst older CBC and Netflix audiences in the 25 to 54 age range. Catto noted that “They [viewership numbers] unfortunately did not lift They simply were not attaining our particular target” (via CBC).
Netflix has supplied a link to Anne with E lovers who wish to make a renewal pitch; however, some believe that Twitter bots were in charge of much of the original cancellation backlash (through CBC). Whatever the circumstance, Anne with an E’s creator, Walley-Beckett, has shown that she is interested in making a feature film. After all, the Anne with an E season 3 finale marks a new chapter from the title character’s life and teases a brand new story about life beyond Green Gables. However, as far as die-hard fans love the show, financials are the bottom line for producers. Still, it seems likely that one of the many high-profile streaming services will deliver Anne with an E back to life.
