Netflix cancels French crime drama ‘Bandi’ after one season despite strong early ratings
Industry analysts suggested the show may have struggled to meet the company’s long-term retention targets
Netflix has cancelled French-language crime drama Bandi after just one season, despite the series recording strong early viewing figures following its release in April 2026.
According to reports published multiple outlets, the streaming platform decided not to renew the Martinique-set series after evaluating broader audience retention metrics beyond initial viewing numbers.
Bandi debuted in early April and quickly entered Netflix’s global Top 10 rankings. The drama reportedly accumulated 16 million viewing hours during its first week before surging to 40.5 million hours in its second week, marking significant audience growth for the eight-episode series.
The show centred on 11 orphaned siblings attempting to survive in Martinique following the death of their mother. Djody Grimeau starred as 16-year-old Kylian, alongside Rodney Dijon and Ambre Bozza.
Despite the rise in viewership, Netflix confirmed the programme would not return for a second season.
“The decision was a hard one that was not taken lightly, and viewership results were insufficient to justify continuation,” Netflix said in a statement quoted by reports.
The platform reportedly assessed the show using wider subscriber engagement data, including whether viewers continued watching other Netflix content after finishing the series. Industry analysts suggested Bandi may have struggled to meet the company’s long-term retention targets despite generating strong short-term interest.
The cancellation has prompted disappointment online, with viewers criticising Netflix for ending the story after one season while several plotlines remained unresolved ahead of the finale airing on May 11.
Some fans also argued the series did not receive sufficient marketing support despite becoming one of Netflix’s emerging international titles during its release period.
Bandi was filmed entirely in Martinique and represented one of Netflix’s limited French Caribbean original productions. The cancellation has also renewed wider criticism of the platform’s approach to international programming and short-lived original series.
The series now joins several other Netflix productions cancelled during 2026 after a single season run.
