It’s hard not to agree with Andreeva calling the cancellation “shocking,” as the series, about a professional assassin’s blown cover rocking her relationship with decidedly non-murderous best friend, has received critical plaudits and solid ratings. Indeed, according to Amazon’s own (perpetually shrouded) reported figures, Ride Of Die tallied more than respectable viewing numbers during its initial—and apparently only—season.
As with any online series in the streaming age, the traditional hurdles of ratings and reviews, it seems, have been ratcheted up with the new “but does it bring people in the door?” metric to kill off the promising series. Crunching the numbers suggests that the show’s largest viewership—as well as its uniformly beloved star duo—consists of middle-aged women. As to why that’s a bad thing, look no further than good old fashioned show business sexism and ageism on one hand, and the premise that such viewers are already speculated to have an Amazon membership on the other. (“For shopping,” as Andreeva adds, with implied disdain.)
Add in the fact that the series was created by a woman (Tessa Coates) as interested in grounding the central duo’s comic adventures in the reality of two very different women’s lives and feelings as in the slam-bang action, and Ride Or Die‘s road becomes even more perilous. As Andreeva states, the show was even consistently under budget for the season, removing one more of Amazon’s excuses.
As for the future of a fun, surprisingly affecting series starring two award-winning actors, Ride Or Die now sets out across the streaming wilderness to look for a new home. With parent company Paramount Television Studios reportedly shopping the series around, there’s still hope, although with two in-demand stars on board, the window to avoid driving off into streaming oblivion is likely a short one.
Keep scrolling for more great stories.