This not the viewers fault. Never was, never is. In Final Space’s case it was caught in the gears of two mergers with a network struggling to get out of debt. Really all of this tax write off stuff is kind of Netflix’s fault but not on purpose. Netflix began spending so much money trying to attract talent that every other networks felt like that had to spend that much to stay competitive. When Netflix lost subscribers the house of cards fell. That model didn’t work. So they began to look for cost savings and animation was the first thing to go. Really, the metrics for a “hit” show are so bonkers today now that most shows only get one season now.
Did people watching it illegally hurt the show? Not enough for it to make a difference and in many cases it helped the show find a bigger audience.
As someone who had his show canceled then erased. Never once did I feel like it was the fans fault. In fact because it was my first show I felt like I was the one failing them. And I worked myself into the ground fighting to keep that show alive. I ran the social media account and edited almost every trailer for two seasons/three years, never got one cent for any of it. It was a dream that turned into a nightmare. The sad thing, all the extra work I did, I don’t think the network even cared or noticed. Would I do it again if I had the chance. Hell yeah, I would. I loved that show but also I was making it for the people who looked forwarded to a new episode every week.
I will say this, pirate the crap out of Final Space, share it on Dropbox’s and google drives. A lot of people worked on that and I think more than anything they don’t want it to be forgotten. The fans of my show like most shows are some of the most passionate people I’ve ever seen. It’s back to back for life! 🤜🤛
I was discussing this issue with friends. It's frustrating when I'll hear some people get mad that their shows get cancelled yet they were watching or downloading it illegally and those views and downloads, now in the MILLIONS these days, don’t count for a show’s ratings at all!