Amazon Axes Two Hit Shows After Just One Season in Latest Spate of Cancellations

Amazon Prime Video has officially canceled two of its new dramas, Countdown and Butterfly, after just one season each.

The shows, starring Jensen Ackles and Daniel Dae Kim respectively, aired earlier this year and were produced by Amazon MGM Studios.

Both series managed to make it onto Nielsen’s top 10 streaming originals chart, showing some early audience interest. Countdown, created by Derek Haas, followed an LAPD detective recruited to a special task force to track down the killer of a Department of Homeland Security officer.

The investigation uncovered a dark conspiracy, leading to a tense race against time to save Los Angeles.

After the season finale, which ended on a cliffhanger, Jensen Ackles expressed hope for a second season. “It was designed to lead into Season 2, so fingers crossed Amazon is still liking what they’re seeing, and the audience participation and the critics talking about it give us enough firepower to continue that story and see where this goes. Obviously, it would suck if it just ends there!”

Critics, however, were not impressed. Variety chief TV critic Aramide Tinubu called Countdown “monotonous” and a “snooze fest,” saying that none of the characters felt distinct and that the plot lacked depth. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a low 35% rating among critics.

Butterfly, created by Steph Cha and Ken Woodruff, focused on a former U.S. intelligence agent whose past actions threaten his family. Tinubu also gave this series a negative review, describing it as “more smoke and mirrors than gritty character-driven material,” despite having the elements of a thriller.

Amazon Prime recently made several decisions regarding its streaming lineup. In addition to canceling these two shows, the streamer renewed We Were Liars, Overcompensating, and the crime thriller spinoff Ballard, based on the Bosch universe. Motorheads was also canceled.

While it’s always disappointing when shows are canceled after just one season, the critical reception suggests that Countdown and Butterfly struggled to connect with viewers and reviewers.

It shows how competitive streaming platforms have become, where even shows with star power must deliver both engaging stories and strong characters. Do you think these cancellations were fair, or were the shows worth a second season? Share your thoughts in the comments.