Space Force is going to be a two-season series. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has pulled the plug on the show with no plans to produce any new episodes. Season 2, which started streaming on the platform in February, now serves as the final season.

The hefty price tag is pointed to as a big reason for the show getting axed. From the start, Space Force was a costly series to make, even setting a new record with co-creator and star Steve Carell earning more than $1 million per episode. Production had moved from L.A. to Vancouver to help lower the budget, but it seems clear that the streamer felt it was investing too much money into the series to go forward with a third season.

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Space Force reunited Carell with Greg Daniels, who rebooted the U.K. version of The Office for American audiences. The two co-created the series with Carell co-starring John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Lisa Kudrow, Tawny Newsome, and Jimmy O. Yang. Carell, Daniels, and Howard Klein executive produced.

The Netflix series was conceived after then-president Donald Trump announced a new branch of the government dubbed the “Space Force.” The workplace comedy series follows the titular team after they’ve been ordered to get “boots on the moon” by 2024 by the president of the United States. Perhaps because it was expected that the series would get another season, season 2 ends on a cliffhanger which sees the Space Force uncovering a major threat that would presumably be explored in the unmade third season. Fans will have to imagine how General Naird and the others would have handled the situation.

Space Force Performed Much Better With Critics With Season 2

     Netflix

Because The Office remains one of the all-time most popular television shows, there had been high expectations at Netflix for Space Force. Unfortunately, the first season arrived with a bit of a whimper in 2020, hit with mostly negative reviews as it left many viewers feeling underwhelmed. The series currently sits with a 39% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Netflix evidently still felt that Space Force had potential, so the streamer committed to another season with some big changes. Notably, Ken Kwapis was brought in to work with Greg Daniels to help adjust the tone of the series. Season 2 was, as a result, much better received by fans and critics. It’s fresh at Rotten Tomatoes with a 90% score, and that came after initially debuting with a perfect 100% rating.

That’s undoubtedly a huge improvement, but what’s more important is how many people are actually watching. Netflix does not divulge exact viewership numbers, but Space Force is getting canceled despite its much-improved ratings seeming to suggest that viewership hadn’t improved from the first season to the second. With so much money getting pumped into the show, perhaps Netflix felt that it wasn’t worth the gamble to move forward any further.

You can find both seasons of Space Force streaming on Netflix.