OTT platforms have garnered quite a reputation for canceling well-loved shows out of the blue, and no amount of criticism seems to be able to rectify the situation.
In the past, the cancellation of shows such as Dead Boy Detectives, My Lady Jane, and Santa Clarita Diet has got fans up in arms against their respective streaming platforms.
Most recently, Amazon Prime Video chose not to renew one of the platform’s top-performing shows from 2026 summer, leaving fans completely baffled.
Moreover, the possibility of the show being canceled because of its “focus on middle-aged women” has taken the public outrage to a different level.
“Y’all know Prime hates its hit shows. It sees good ratings and says, ‘Nope, let’s cancel it every time,’” one viewer joked.
Amazon canceled Hannah Waddingham-led Ride or Die despite top ratings
Siegfried Anthony/Variety via Getty Images
Tessa Coates’ buddy comedy series Ride or Die, starring Emmy-winning Hannah Waddingham and Oscar-winning Octavia Spencer as Judith Burton and Debbie Claymore, premiered on Amazon Prime Video on July 15, 2026.
Revolving around the two characters’ friendship and Judith’s career as an international assassin, the show became the platform’s most-viewed original series worldwide in its debut week and held the position for three subsequent weeks.
According to the rankings update for the week ending September 7, the show was at No. 8, one spot above its mega-hit superhero satire, The Boys.
It also impressed critics, earning accolades from major outlets such as The Telegraph and The Wall Street Journal. It currently holds a 96% score with critics and 85% with audiences on the popular review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
A show with numbers like that usually gets ordered for a next season fairly fast, which didn’t happen here. Instead, Prime Video canceled it after the first season, which ended on a cliffhanger and left the fans hoping for more.
It came as a complete surprise to the fans, as well as the cast and crew, according to Deadline’s Editor-in-Chief, Nellie Andreeva.
“The lack of quick renewal should’ve been a sign. Still, the cancellation has taken everyone involved in Ride of Die by surprise,” Andreeva wrote.
According to the report, the show got 927,000 views in just two days, twice as many as Legally Blonde prequel Elle’s 477,000 views and almost four times as many as the viral romantic drama Off Campus’ 245,000 views, both of which have since been renewed.
“Over its first 14 days of release, Ride or Die is said to be Prime Video’s most-watched new scripted series in the U.S. from 7/30/25 to 7/29/26,” Andreeva added.
Paramount Television Studios, which created the show, is looking for other potential buyers, as per her report.
Amazon may have nixed Ride or Die because of its female-centric viewership
Although Prime Video has not shared a reason for canceling a very successful series, Andreeva believes it has to do with Ride or Die drawing in a female-centric audience.
“Reasons are murky, but the show’s focus on middle-aged women may have been a factor,” Andreeva wrote. “While Ride or Die crossed over to also attract men and young viewers, its appeal to women of a certain age may have hampered its chances.”
“It sounds cynical, but I hear that that demographic is not very desirable for Amazon executives, as a lot of middle-aged women already have Amazon Prime for shopping, so a show targeting them would not bring new subscribers. That is what may have happened with Ride or Die, I hear.”
Fans of the show were highly disappointed with Prime Video’s decision and openly called them out on social media.
“Prime is testing how much they can mess with the audience without losing them,” one said. Another wrote, “Apparently having your show be in the top five since it premiered mid-July doesn’t even matter anymore.”
“They couldn’t handle a hot older woman riding a bike,” a third said, talking about Waddingham’s character. A fourth said, “A black main character was the problem.”
Another accused, “Prime has been very s*x*st and racist. There have been so many shows I can list that have been canceled for that reason.”
Many fans alleged that Prime was “self-sabotaging” with this call, on top of previously canceling It’s Not Like That, which has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Spider-Noir, which has 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and five Emmy wins.
The cancellation of Ride or Die exposes a deeper issue in Hollywood, according to one writer
Reacting to the news, Octavia Spencer thanked the cast and crew on Instagram and wrote, “Projects like this shouldn’t be the exception. They should be the rule!”
“For all the women out there who felt seen, laughed out loud, lived out loud with Debbie and Judith, thank you. This was a fun one.”
Spencer kept it classy, but the comment section of her post was a different matter.
Abbott Elementary actress Lisa Ann Walter wrote, “They’re insane. Biggest hit Prime has had in a minute.” Ruby Rose commented, “This is in the top 10 CRAZIEST cancellations of all time. This PROVES WE ARE NOT ON A REAL TIMELINE!”
Renowned sociologist and author Tressie McMillan Cottom said, “Just so you know, every woman I know is riding for y’all today. This is an a**ault on all of us, our value as an audience, and the absolutely f****d politics of erasure happening across all media at the moment.”
Power Rangers star Karan Ashley said, “Amazon barely has programming, and this one was such a huge success. I just don’t understand.”
BAFTA-nominated British actress and comedian Katy Brand shared a short note about it on her Instagram, saying, “It doesn’t surprise me that Ride or Die has been canceled after one season even though it was a HUGE hit. The level of misogyny in the film and TV business is out of control.”
“My advice to women is to try to bypass the whole system. I still have meetings with deeply mediocre men with a fraction of my writing experience who try to teach me how to write, and if I don’t listen obediently, I lose the job,” Brand continued.
“I get told to take menopause jokes out of scripts because they don’t like the word. I get told the female characters are too funny. No. We have to make our own way. Use whatever you have available to get your work out there.”
Waddingham is yet to comment on the axing, and has been busy attending the premiere of her upcoming dark comedy drama, Digger, co-starring Tom Cruise.
“F**k everyone who was involved in that decision,” one user wrote
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