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Why did Netflix cancel 'Grand Army'? Fans ask HBO to take over teen drama series

'Grand Army' revolved around the lives of five teenage students as they sailed through different struggles of life

Netflix teenage drama series 'Grand Army' will not be renewed for another season as it has been canceled by the streaming platform. The series, which was created by Katie Cappiello, debuted on Netflix in October 2020 and quickly became a favorite among the US audience. Loosely inspired by Cappiello's 2013 work 'Slut: The Play', the series 'Grand Army' comprised nine episodes in the first season. 

The story revolved around the lives of five students at Brooklyn's largest public high school and showcases their daily struggles to survive, break free and seize the future. The show starred Odessa Adlon as Joey Del Marco,  Amir Bageria as Siddhartha Pakam, Odley Jean as Dominique Pierre, Maliq Johnson as Jayson Jackson, Amalia Yoo as Leila Kwan Zimmer, among others. Writer Katie Cappiello also served as an executive producer for the show alongside Joshua Donen, Nicolette Donen, Beau Willimon, Jordan Tappis, and Elizabeth Kling. 

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Why was 'Grand Army' canceled? 

'Grand Army' received around 71% critical response on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.6 rating out of 10 on IMDb. The viewers and critics specifically appreciated the acting prowess of the young cast and their comfortable camaraderie with each other. Variety writer LaToya Ferguson remarked in her review that the 'extremely talented' cast "drives its stories forward in a way that makes it worth watching the full season."

However, she added that 'Grand Army' failed to add anything new in the teen drama genre. The show lacked originality in its cliched depictions of sexual assault, cyberbullying or closeted homosexuality, "and especially not in its depiction of the struggles (upon struggles, upon struggles) of Black students,” wrote Ferguson. 

Viewers of the show did not take the news of its cancelation too well, as they expressed their disappointment on social media. "Netflix really hasn’t renewed grand army and they never will…someone will pay for this bc that was one of the best teen dramas like," a viewer tweeted. Another fan wrote, "they cancelled grand army after one season yet the kissing booth gets three movies."

A third fan was seriously shocked at the news, "GRAND ARMY GOT CANCELED???? IM GOING TO SET SOMETHING ON FIRE!!!!!!!! IM CRYING AT WORK"

One fan requested HBO to pick up the show after its cancellation on Netflix, "can hbo PLEASE take grand army from netflix since they cancelled it PLEASE"