Dear Edward, the emotionally driven drama series on Apple TV Plus, has been cancelled after a single season.
Per The Hollywood Reporter (THR), the Jason Katims-developed TV show won't be returning for a second season on Apple TV Plus. Dear Edward becomes the third Apple TV Plus scripted series to be canned after one season, joining Little Voice and Shantaram on the platform's discarded original programming pile.
Apple hasn't explained why Dear Edward was ended after a single outing. However, with mixed reviews from fans and critics – Dear Edward holds 55% critical and 65% audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes – the weepy plane-crash drama didn't capture viewers' imaginations. We've reached out to Apple for comment, and we'll report back if we receive a response.
Releasing on Apple TV Plus on February 3 with a three-episode premiere, Dear Edward – based on Ann Napolitano's book of the same name – tells the tale of Edward Adler, a 12-year-old survivor of a plane crash that kills everyone else on board, including his family. Edward, plus other individuals affected by the tragedy, connect in the immediate and long-term aftermath of the catastrophic event, and help each other to work through their individual and collective trauma.
The season 1 finale, which aired on March 24, set up where a second season would go, providing that Apple renewed Dear Edward for another installment. Less than one month on from the end of its first season, though, Dear Edward's fate has been sealed.
Despite its schlocky story beats and somewhat overbearing thematic exploration of grief, Dear Edward managed to sneak its way onto our best Apple TV Plus shows list upon arrival. Its cancellation, though, might mean its stay in the aforementioned guide is over before it's truly begun.
A short-haul flight for another Apple TV drama
It's rare to see Apple cancel one of its shows after a solitary season. As I mentioned above, Dear Edward is only the third Apple TV Plus original scripted series to be consigned to the scrap heap following its initial 10-episode run (the others being the previously mentioned Shantaram and Little Voice).
Even more surprisingly, Dear Edward is only the fourth Apple TV Plus drama series to be given the chop by the streaming division's executive team after one season. Amazing Stories, the Steven Spielberg-created anthology series, is the only other drama show to be cancelled since Apple TV Plus was launched in November 2019.
There are other Apple TV Plus originals that have been dumped after a single season. Comedy-drama Mr. Corman, kids shows including Fraggle Rock: Rock On! and Amber Brown, and numerous docuseries, such as Tiny World, have failed to make it to their sophomore years on one of the world's best streaming services.
Still, it takes something special for Apple to end one of its TV shows prematurely. In fact, the globally-renowned multi-industry company has only canned 23 series in Apple TV Plus' three-and-a-half year history. That's discounting the streamer's miniseries, which only run for a single season anyway. Without factoring its miniseries library into the equation, those 23 cancelled shows only amount to 22% of Apple's TV Originals lineup since its streaming platform debuted in late 2019.
Considering the amount of money Apple throws at its streaming service and original programming – Apple never discloses exact figures but, judging by each series' production value, it seems like a lot – each show needs to perform well enough among audiences to merit a second season.
Clearly, Dear Edward didn't pull in the viewers necessary to be deemed worthy of renewal. Its cancellation, then, shouldn't come as a complete shock. This is one TV show that warranted nothing more than a short-haul flight.
For more Apple TV Plus coverage, read our Apple TV Plus review, check out our Ted Lasso season 3 review, read up on everything worth knowing about Foundation season 2, or find out what the best Apple TV Plus movies are.
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