When Netflix announces the end of an original series, there is frequently a sense of disappointment. The streamer has a history of cancelling shows just as they’re getting off the ground, leaving unfinished plotlines and enraged fans in their wake. Netflix and the show’s creators appear to have come to an understanding in this instance.
According to Deadline, the third season of Locke & Key will be the last for the Netflix series, which premieres later this year. Please don’t be alarmed; the show’s writers weren’t informed of the cancellation in the middle of production. After Locke & Key’s first season was such a smash hit, Netflix and the show’s creators decided on a three-season order.
It’s not like the showrunners, Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill, have no idea how much narrative they have left to tell. Assuming that Cuse and Averill are able to stay the landing, the final season of Locke & Key should tie up any leftover narrative lines and offer each character a suitable finale.
In response to the news that Locke & Key will end after an eight-episode third season, the show’s creators released the following statement: To us, three seasons was the perfect amount for wrapping up the Locke family saga and their experiences in Keyhouse. Once we started working on the show, we agreed. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to convey Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s extraordinary tale the way we wanted to tell it,” we say.
To see a Netflix original series end on its own terms without the show’s creators being forced to abandon planned storylines and arcs is a truly refreshing experience. This isn’t always the case, though, with Netflix’s original programming. Ask the creators of Archive 81, a critically acclaimed horror series that was abruptly cancelled earlier this year despite its first season ending on a cliffhanger.
Locke & Key premiered on Netflix in February 2020, and it was promptly extended for two more seasons after gaining a lot of attention from Netflix subscribers. It follows the Locke children after their father’s death as they settle into their ancestral house. There are mystical mysteries hidden in the house, magical keys with unique powers, and a malevolent demon hellbent on collecting these keys.
Analysis: It’s not a Netflix shutdown.
For everyone involved, Locke & Key’s third season finale felt like a success. Netflix can now go on to other projects, the creative team can complete their tale as intended, and the series’ viewers can look forward to a satisfactory finale. In a rare occurrence, a Netflix show is coming to an end without any apparent reason for angst.
But in this situation, Netflix deserves praise since the streamer worked with the show’s writers to devise a long-term strategy and then stayed true to it. There are only eight more episodes of Locke & Key to watch, but that’s a luxury that many original programmes don’t have on Netflix.