#1899Netflix
1899, the multilingual mystery thriller from the creators of Dark, premiered on Netflix on November 17, 2022—and was controversially canceled after one season despite strong viewership.
The Show
Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese (Dark), 1899 followed passengers on the steamship Kerberos crossing the Atlantic in 1899. When they encounter the Prometheus, a missing sister ship, mysterious events unfold—time loops, buried memories, simulations, and reality-bending twists.
The cast included Emily Beecham, Aneurin Barnard, Andreas Pietschmann, and Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen. The show’s unique feature: 8 languages spoken naturally (English, German, Spanish, French, Danish, Cantonese, Polish, Portuguese)—with characters understanding each other despite language barriers.
Shot entirely on a virtual LED soundstage (like The Mandalorian), the production was visually stunning, blending period detail with surreal, Matrix-like reveals.
The Twist
Spoiler: The entire ship was a simulation. The passengers were test subjects in a futuristic experiment. The finale revealed they were in 2099, not 1899—setting up what would have been a season 2 shift to a completely different setting and time period.
The twist divided viewers: some loved the ambition; others felt betrayed by the bait-and-switch.
Cancellation Controversy
On January 2, 2023—just 6 weeks after premiere—Netflix canceled 1899 despite:
- Top 10 globally for weeks
- 79.27 million hours viewed in its first week
- Critical acclaim (76% Rotten Tomatoes)
Fans launched petition campaigns (#Save1899). The creators expressed shock; they’d planned 3 seasons.
Netflix’s reasoning: viewership didn’t justify the high production costs. The cancellation highlighted Netflix’s ruthless metrics-driven approach, angering creators and subscribers.
Cultural Impact
The cancellation became a rallying cry against Netflix’s cancelation culture. High-concept shows with cliffhanger endings were no longer safe.
1899’s legacy: a gorgeous, ambitious mystery cut short—another example of streaming platforms prioritizing instant hits over slow-burn storytelling.
The show’s multilingual approach and virtual production techniques influenced TV production, even if the story remained unfinished.