The creator of The Baby-Sitters Club followed middle-schoolers – Claudia Kishi (Momona Tamada), Dawn Schafer (Xochitl Gomez), Kristy Thomas (Sophie Grace), Mary-Anne Spier (Malia Baker), and Stacey McGill (Shay Rudolph) – as they plan to start a babysitting business.
Netflix's Baby-Sitters Club season 1 garnered quick and fervent acclaim from general audiences and critics alike, many of whom praised the adaptation for effectively appealing to viewers of all ages. Season 2 drew even wider praise, with the cast lauded for their performances and the storylines succeeding in the delicate balance of maintaining a light touch while, nonetheless, still tackling important issues. Netflix’s decision to cancel The Baby-Sitters Club after season 2 was met with much surprise and objection given the popularity of the adaptation, particularly among young women.
In an interview with Vulture, series creator Rachel Shukert opened up about why Netflix opted to cancel The Baby-Sitters Club. Shukert ultimately put the blame on the service’s reliance on algorithms. As she explained it, The Baby-Sitters was only being promoted to its supposed target audience of young people – despite critics of many different demographics recommending the show. Ultimately, Shukert believes that Netflix may not have given the adaptation the space it needed to grow, saying “The right people didn’t watch it at the right time for Netflix.” Shukert’s full quote is included below.
“I think that’s a product of depending on algorithmic data and not a lot of willingness to see what the show could become or figure out a way to put it forward. A show like this has tremendous nostalgic potential. People who grew up reading the books, people who have kids that age … But if you’re 35 and you loved the books and you don’t watch a lot of YA stuff or any of Netflix’s kids and family stuff, Netflix is not going to show The Baby-Sitters Club to you.
We would talk, and they’d be like, ‘Well, we hoped it would get more traction with adult audiences.’ It’s not going to if they don’t know it’s there! Just knowing what our numbers were, the audience is there. It’s not like no one watched it. For whatever reason, the right people didn’t watch it at the right time for Netflix right now.”
Shukert, who also worked as a writer and producer on Netflix's GLOW, said she felt that the streamer had changed its view in the years since the wrestling drama debuted. At the time, with a show like GLOW, it was more acceptable to have a smaller series that may not be watched by a large audience. But more recently, Shukert says, that mindset has changed. Perhaps as a testament to the shifting sentiment, GLOW season 4 also had its renewal reversed, meaning the show ended unresolved after season 3.
Despite her disappointment with the show's cancellation, Shukert does compliment Netflix for allowing her creative freedom in of the stories she’d hope to tell with The Baby-Sitters Club. However, whether it is because of increased competition or because – as analysts have pointed out – Netflix has plateaued in of adding new subscribers, the streamer is evidently less willing to stick with a show that doesn’t instantly catch fire. As well as leaving showrunners like Shukert perplexed, it is possible that these sudden cancellations may leave potential viewers less willing to engage with Netflix’s originals, for fear that it might be axed midway through. Regardless, the cancellation of Shukert's nostalgic recreation of The Baby-Sitters Club was a disappointment to many.
Source: Vulture