#Queen Sono Canceled as Netflix Reverses Another Renewal

Another Netflix series bites the dust.

The streamer has officially pulled the plug on its first African original series, Queen Sono, despite previously picking up a second season.

South African news outlet Channel24 has revealed the cancellation comes due to production challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with season 2 of Queen Sono,” Netflix said in a statement.

“A huge thank you to our fans across the world for the love shared for our first African Original series.

“Netflix is also grateful to the… cast and crew for their stellar efforts in creating this show for our members around the world,” the statement continued.

“We’ll continue to work closely with South Africa’s creative industry to keep producing more compelling ‘Made-in-South Africa’ stories.”

Series creator Kagiso Lediga also released a statement, which read: “We wrote a beautiful story that spanned the continent but unfortunately could not be executed in these current trying times.”

Queen Sono follows the story of a secret South African clandestine agent (Pearl Thusi) who tackles criminal operations while dealing with crises in her personal life.

The cast also included Vuyo Dabula, Sechaba Morojele, Chi Mhende, Loyiso Madinga, Rob Van Vuuren, Kate Liquorish, Khathu Ramabulana, Enhle Maphumulo, Abigail Kubeka, Connie Chiume, Otto Nobela, and James Ngcobo.

The series debuted on Netflix in February and was a quick hit for the streamer, landing its second season renewal in April.

Glow and The Society had both been picked up for additional seasons by Netflix before being canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Many other series not on Netflix have met a similar fate, including ABC’s Stumptown and Showtime’s On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

The pandemic is proving to be difficult for the TV industry, with many shows struggling to produce new seasons under strict COVID-19 guidelines.

What are your thoughts on the news?

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.