Despite excellent critical reviews and decent initial viewership metrics, The Brothers Sun has been canceled by Netflix. Season 2 will not be happening, despite there being plenty of potential for it after the Season 1 finale. The news will be disappointing for fans who enjoyed the excellent mix of familial drama and martial arts action.
The Brothers Sun Has Been Canceled and Will Not Return For Season 2
The Brothers Sun has been canceled at Netflix. It will not return for Season 2.
Deadline broke the news, which was quickly picked up by the rest of the trade press. Co-creator Brad Falchuk has an ongoing deal at the streamer and will continue to work with them, though not on this project.
The Brothers Sun performed exceptionally well with critics and decently well with audiences, but the inability of the show to sustain viewership over time is likely to have been the key factor in its being axed.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season boasts an impressive 85% “Fresh” rating and a 90% score from users. However, critical reception rarely determines these kinds of decisions. The viewership numbers are much more important here, and while The Brothers Sun did okay, it didn’t sustain its early high performance for long.
According to Netflix Top 10, the show spent five weeks in the English-language top ten, peaking at #2 with just under 7 million views. These numbers don’t compare to the biggest releases on the platform and they slipped below 2 million in subsequent weeks. It didn’t even perform as well as something like Obliterated, which was also unceremoniously canceled after just one season.
The Brothers Sun centers around Charles Sun (Justin Chien), who has to head to Los Angeles to protect his mother, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh), and brother Bruce Sun (Sam Song Li) from a rival gang trying to take over the business.
After someone attempts to take out the leader of the Taiwan crime family, his son Charles Sun must go to Los Angeles to protect his mother and brother. Upon arriving, he realizes that his brother Bruce isn’t aware of what his family is in charge of and is an average American. Because of this, he must try to teach him the ropes unwillingly to protect himself and his mother.
Throughout the series, we explore the Sun family and how their history is deeply rich in the world of crime. As the dead bodies pile up, Bruce struggles to adapt to his new life.
What do you think of the news to cancel The Brothers Sun? Were you looking forward to Season 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
RELATED: The Brothers Sun Season 1 Recap
