Netflix's canceling spree continues as it axes acclaimed family drama

Dion and his mother in Raising Dion season 1
(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix has canceled Raising Dion after two seasons on the streaming service. 

News of the show's cancelation was confirmed last night (April 26)  by star Sammi Haney, who revealed on Instagram that the show was no more. 

Writing about the cancelation, Haney thanked the show's fans and expressed sorrow that it would not return for a third season. 

She wrote: "Sad to say that Raising Dion is CANCELED. Thank you for all of the amazing support we got from all of our wonderful fans! Season 2 was a success, equal to Season 1, even if just looking at how many people watched all of it and wanted a season 3!”

Raising Dion was adapted from the comic book of the same name by Dennis Liu and made its debut on Netflix in 2019. 

It told the story of Nicole, a widower raising her son, Dion. As well as facing all the normal dramas of raising a young son singlehandedly, things get complicated when Dion starts to manifest several magical, superhero-like abilities. 

Quickly made aware that there are people who would exploit her son's abilities, Nicole attempts to keep them a secret, but that, as you might imagine, proves to be very challenging indeed. 

The show also starred Ja'Siah Young in the role of Dion, with Haney playing Esperanza Jimenez, his best friend. Jason Ritter, Jazmyn Simon and Rome Flynn were also in the cast. 

Michael B. Jordan, who had a recurring role as Mark, the dead husband of Wainwright's Nicole, was also among the show's executive producers, along with Liu


Analysis: Why was Raising Dion canceled?

Quite simply, Netflix is tightening its belt. 

We already know that the streaming giant has lost 200,000 subscribers since the beginning of 2022, a drop which has seen $50 billion fall off the company's value, and that news was quickly followed by news that Netflix had re-evaluted many of its in-development projects, with the streamer's animation projects hit particularly hard

However, critics liked Raising Dion, and it scored a decent 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and viewers seemed to like it too. The show enjoyed a four-week spell in Netflix’s global top 10 for English-language series, hitting second place in its second week. 

So, either viewership tailed off dramatically, or, perhaps with a third season and the prospect of increased salaries for the show's cast, Netflix have baulked. 

Raising Dion joins Archive 81, The Babysitters' Club and Cowboy Bebop in Netflix's canceling spree. And, given all the streamer's recent troubles, it is unlikely to be the last instalment...

Tom Goodwyn
Freelance Entertainment Writer

Tom Goodwyn was formerly TechRadar's Senior Entertainment Editor. He's now a freelancer writing about TV shows, documentaries and movies across streaming services, theaters and beyond. Based in East London, he loves nothing more than spending all day in a movie theater, well, he did before he had two small children… 

Read more
Dream sits in a chair in season 1 of Netflix's The Sandman TV show
I’m not surprised The Sandman is Netflix’s first canceled show of 2025 after Dead Boy Detectives was axed
Graham Lawson holding a gun as he stands behind a car door in Territory.
Netflix reportedly cancels Yellowstone-style series Territory after one season and it's disappointing to hear
(L to R) George Rexstrew as Edwin Payne and Jayden Revri as Charles Rowland in Dead Boy Detectives.
Sad about Dead Boy Detectives being canceled? You’ll be able to see one of the Netflix show’s stars in The Sandman season 2 instead
Owen Hendricks looks at something off camera in The Recruit season 2.
Netflix cancels spy thriller The Recruit, and I know which show to blame
Bookie
Max just canceled a comedy show with 90% on Rotten Tomatoes from a huge name – and fans of Bookie are not happy
Nicole Kidman wears a blue blouse with her arms crossed.
Netflix might be renewing The Perfect Couple and Beauty in Black for season 2, but I don’t get why when it’s canceled shows with poorer ratings
Latest in Netflix
Netflix Ads
Netflix adds HDR10+ support – great news for Samsung TV owners, but don't expect LG and Sony to do the same any time soon
Wonka poster
Netflix cooks up sweet new reality TV series based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and it's a dream come true for me
Eddie Miller (Stephen Graham) looks as his anxious son Jamie (Owen Cooper) in a prison cell.
Netflix's #1 show Adolescence is one of the best crime dramas I've seen – here are 3 more with over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes
Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore, swinging a golf club while a crowd watches
Netflix confirms Happy Gilmore's long-awaited comeback in new trailer, and I hope it won't be a swing and a miss
A still from Netflix's new miniseries Adolescence starring Stephen Graham
Adolescence is the TV show of the year – here’s why the Netflix crime drama had me gripped from start to finish
Sakata in Demon City holds a large cleaver-like weapon
Demon City on Netflix is Japan's answer to John Wick with a dash of Oldboy, and it rocks
Latest in News
Open AI
OpenAI unveiled image generation for 4o – here's everything you need to know about the ChatGPT upgrade
Apple WWDC 2025 announced
Apple just announced WWDC 2025 starts on June 9, and we'll all be watching the opening event
Hornet swings their weapon in mid air
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets new Steam metadata changes, convincing everyone and their mother that the game is finally releasing this year
OpenAI logo
OpenAI just launched a free ChatGPT bible that will help you master the AI chatbot and Sora
An aerial view of an Instavolt Superhub for charging electric vehicles
Forget gas stations – EV charging Superhubs are using solar power to solve the most annoying thing about electric motoring
NetSuite EVP Evan Goldberg at SuiteConnect London 2025
"It's our job to deliver constant innovation” - NetSuite head on why it wants to be the operating system for your whole business