The Midnight Club hit Netflix during this year’s Netflix Halloween lineup. Co-created by Mike Flanagan, it seemed prime for success considering it is based on Christopher Pike’s popular young adult novels. And, who doesn’t love a story with a group of “outsider kids” dealing with some sinister and strange happenings? That is literally what we see happen in Stranger Things, Dark, and other Netflix offerings and beyond. It is a solid subgenre that seems to never fail. But, it seems the chilling supernatural thriller didn’t resonate in whatever way Netflix hoped it would. The Midnight Club got that dreaded cancellation notice from Netflix, so the show will not return for season two, according to a TV Line report.
This news comes at an interesting time considering that Flanagan and Trevor Macy just inked a big production deal with Amazon Studios. It is rather shocking considering the success of Midnight Mass in 2021. But alas, Flanagan and Netflix’s relationship seems to be no more. And, the sad part about this cancellation is that The Midnight Club fans will not see the continuing stories unfold.
Flanagan himself tweeted following the news that the show will not, in fact, get a second season anywhere else and so has shared the answers to the show’s many dangling questions. Among them that, as hinted in season one, Dr. Stanton is in actuality “Athena,” the daughter of Paragon cult leader Aceso. He also lays out how and when the various Club members will pass on, the identity of the Shadow and the janitor, and who the Mirror Man and the Cataract Woman are. Fun stuff!
It reminds us of the big cliffhanger we had with Archive 81, another great Netflix series that got the chop after only one season. At least Flanagan, ever the gent, has allowed fans some closure. For a show about making peace, it seems more than proper.