A Change.org petition calling for the renewal of Netflix’s cancelled Cowboy Bebop live action adaptation has reached over 100,000 signatures.
The petition, posted by Ryan Proffer in December, is for “those people who want a second (or more) [season] of the live action cowboy bebop.” Change.org notes that the petition will become one of the top signed on the website once it reaches 150,000 signatures.
In the petition’s description, Proffer praised the cancelled show, writing: “It wasn’t a direct copy of the anime but the world they put together was amazing and deserve a second season.”
The sci-fi show debuted on Netflix on November 19th, only to be cancelled less than a month after its release. Based off of the classic anime directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, the show starred John Cho as stylish bounty hunter Spike Spiegel. Mustafa Shakir and Daniella Pineda co-starred as crew members Jet and Faye, who join Spike in searching the solar system for jobs.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cancellation was due to poor reception and ratings. Fans and critics alike were unimpressed by the show’s quality, with the show achieving a “rotten” 47% critic rating and 58% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and 58% audience score. These attitudes were reflected in the show’s viewership, which, as the Reporter notes, dropped 59% two weeks after its debut.
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However, fans signing the petition praised the show’s creativity, arguing that Netflix had cancelled the show too soon. Fan William Floyd commented that he “love[d] the world they’ve created” and the “top notch” visuals and directing. David Hunter, a self-described “big fan of the anime,” also wrote that “the live action was its own cool thing and…cancelling it so quickly does a real disservice to the show.”
“Don’t let this become one of those cult classics that years down the line, people will be watching season one and thinking ‘Why the Hell did they cancel this, it was gold,’” wrote Nicholas Hedberg. “I’ve watched the original a few dozen times. Change is welcome.”
Other commentors observed that the low ratings may have been due to excessive comparison with the anime series. Negative reviews of the live-action adaptation frequently pointed at its inability to capture the spirit of the original, such as Film Inquiry critic Jake Tropila’s opinion that the show “lack[ed] any wonder and exist[ed] as an unfitting adaptation of Watanabe’s classic series.”
“I love this show! I believe the poor ratings if Cowboy BeBop resulted from expectations of fans of the original anime series,” wrote Katie Walker. “Let this show stand on its own. It’s beautiful, exciting, and deserves to be explored more through further seasons.”
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