The Real Reason Why Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘FUBAR’ Was Canceled

Netflix canceled FUBAR after two seasons, disappointing fans who had hoped the show would continue. While Netflix hasn’t given an official reason for ending the series, the sharp drop in viewers during the second season likely played a big role in the decision.

Arnold Schwarzenegger made his small-screen debut with FUBAR, and the first season was a hit. It topped Nielsen’s streaming charts in its premiere week back in 2023, with 1.53 billion minutes watched.

But the second season, which premiered in 2025, saw a massive decline, dropping to just 412 million minutes during its debut week. That’s a 73% fall in total viewing time, and it probably sealed the show’s fate at Netflix.

Season 1 also had strong numbers in terms of viewers, pulling in 11 million views and securing the top spot on Netflix’s English-language Top 10 list. However, season 2 only managed 2.2 million views in its first four days. It barely made it onto the Top 10 chart, peaking at number 7 in its second week before falling off completely.

This steady decline in both Nielsen ratings and Netflix’s own numbers shows that FUBAR struggled to keep its momentum after a strong start. Much of the initial success was driven by Schwarzenegger’s star power, but that wasn’t enough to keep viewers hooked for the second season.

The show itself was praised at first as a fun action spy thriller. Schwarzenegger played Luke Brunner, a cheeky CIA agent who finds out his daughter Emma is also a CIA operative.

Together, they team up for dangerous missions. Season 2 introduced new characters played by Carrie-Anne Moss and Guy Burnet. Moss played Greta Nelson, a former East German spy and Luke’s old love interest, while Burnet was Theodore Chips, a secretive former MI6 agent.

The second season raised the stakes with a high-risk mission to stop a dangerous terrorist bent on repopulating the planet. The finale had plenty of action and a surprise twist about the terrorist’s identity, but it didn’t catch on with many viewers or critics.

Critics were never fully sold on the series. Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a 51% critic approval rating but a 68% audience score. Season 2 scored 46% from critics but actually improved to 79% audience approval. Despite the better audience rating, this didn’t translate into strong viewership numbers.

On Metacritic, season 1 received a 48 out of 100, meaning mixed or average reviews. Season 2 did slightly better with a 59 out of 100. The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes for the first season said, “With jokes that fall flat and a story that borrows liberally from star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s earlier career triumphs, FUBAR is just OK.” For season 2, they wrote, “FUBAR doesn’t mess with its formula beyond recognition in a second season that’s not without its charms but still hampered by clunky scripting.”

Even with its flaws, FUBAR managed to draw attention as Schwarzenegger’s first scripted TV show. However, its drop in viewers and mixed reviews meant Netflix decided to cancel it, ending Schwarzenegger’s scripted TV run for now.

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