Bad news came today for another Netflix fan favorite when The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself creator Joe Barton took to Twitter to announce that the witchy and mystical show had been canceled. Those who’ve enjoyed the story are bound to be shocked as the book-turned-series’ first season was met with rave reviews and currently sits on Rotten Tomatoes with a 93% critics rating and a 92% audience rating. But, even its terrific scores couldn’t save the eight-episode series that dropped on October 28.
In his post, Barton, who’s also known for creating the British crime show Giri/Haji as well as the sci-fi series The Lazarus Project, confirmed the rumor that Netflix had dropped The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself from its programming slate. He said he was “very proud of it” and enjoyed teaming up with the production’s cast and crew to bring it to audiences via the streamer. His one regret was not being given the chance to continue the adventure, telling fans, “Sorry not to be able to finish the story.”
The series centered around 16-year-old Nathan Byrne (Jay Lycurgo), a teen who’s finding it increasingly difficult to control his magical abilities. While the other witches in his world are either Fairborn witches or Blood witches, Nathan is the child of a Fairborn witch and Marcus Edge (David Gyasi), the darkest and most sinister of all the Blood witches. Not knowing which witch the boy would grow into, the good guys at the Fairborn Council have been keeping close tabs on Nathan, checking in with him throughout his young life for any signs of evil bubbling to the surface. As was expected, Nathan’s darker powers begin to show, giving the teen no choice but to set off on a quest to find and save himself from the inner demons threatening to tear him apart.
The story is about self-discovery, accepting all of your parts – both good and bad – and creating your own family to hold you up in times of turmoil. There’s also a love story via a triangle between Nathan and his friends, travel companions, and fellow witches: Annalise O’Brien (Nadia Parkes) and Gabriel (Emilien Vekemans). As the trio’s story of passion and heartbreak unfolds, the cute queer love story at the heart of it is another bit that made this show special.
The only good news for those who loved the Netflix show and are longing to discover the next chapter in the story is that the production was based on the YA book series by Sally Green. To keep the magic going, audiences can pick up Green’s trilogy and find out what happens to Nathan and the rest of the story’s characters.
Check out Barton’s farewell tweet, and watch the trailer for The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself.
