Picture Credit: Netflix
It’s the end of the road for the Lafleur saga: local media got the official heads-up on Thursday that the French show, masterminded by The Bureau creator Eric Rochant and Capucine Rochant, will not return for a second season. Here is everything we know so far.
The drama was always a big gamble: shot almost entirely on the Caribbean island of Martinique, it featured a local crew and a young cast playing the eleven Lafleur siblings. However, it seemed to have somewhat paid off since its launch on April 9th. In its first week, Bandi amassed 16 million hours viewed globally (2.1 million views/CVE). It then jumped to 40.5 million hours viewed in its second week, establishing a steady presence in the Top 10 of many countries.
Although rumors on social media and from local influencers suggested the show was canceled earlier this week, nothing was officially confirmed until late Thursday. Netflix issued a statement to the local radio station RCI, which spans both Guadeloupe and Martinique, confirming Bandi would not return for a second season.
We reached out to Netflix, who confirmed the statement provided to RCI but declined to comment further.
Why was Bandi canceled?
The streamer stated the cancellation “was a hard decision that was not taken lightly,” and that the viewership results were insufficient in relation to the show’s production costs. The decision was also influenced by subscriber completion rates of the eight episodes, among other internal factors. Nevertheless, the statement highlighted that the first season was “a true cultural moment putting forward local Martinique talent, carried by the vision of Éric and Capucine Rochant and the exceptional commitment of the cast and crew.” The platform added that it remained “extremely proud of the show.”
Weighing viewership against costs is not exclusive to Netflix and has been cited many times before for other international shows. There are always other factors at play, but Bandi did find an audience outside of France, which is always a gamble for French programming. Viewers will no doubt be frustrated that they will never know the thorny fate of Kylian Lafleur following the shocking events of the season 1 finale.
Looking at the current French slate, the cancellation illustrates the struggle to draw a large enough audience to warrant additional seasons—especially considering the creators stated Bandi was designed as a family saga spanning multiple seasons. While Blood Coast (Pax Massilia) is currently in production for season 3, and The Cage is set to return later this year for its second season, many shows are still officially awaiting their fate. These include the adventure series Néro The Assassin, Cash Queens (Les Lionnes), and the comedies Represent (En Place) and Flunked (Recalé) (which launched in late April). Last summer’s Young Millionaires, meanwhile, can be viewed as a closed-ended miniseries.
Are you disappointed by Bandi‘s cancellation? Are you wondering what could have been for the Lafleur clan? Sound off in the comments below!
