Despite only releasing in February 2022, Netflix has announced that its animated series based on the hit videogame Cuphead is already getting a second season. Taking to Twitter, the streaming giant shared the good news. However, some of its customers are unconvinced about The Cuphead Show season 2, believing instead that the upcoming episodes should be viewed as season 1 part 2.
That’s right; you would think that following Netflix’s big announcement, everyone would be universally happy. However, that wasn’t the case, as #NewDeal4Animation started to trend after the streamer’s Twitter post. Many fans began retweeting the Cuphead Show season 2 announcement with the hashtag and calling out Netflix – accusing the streamer of breaking up season 1 into two short parts instead of paying for more episodes. Fans pointed out how 12 short episodes per season seemed suspicious, and flagged how fast the ‘new episodes’ were done for the TV series.
#NewDeal4Animation is an ongoing online campaign that refers to the pay negotiations for artists and workers represented by The Animation Guild. The TAG has been pointing out the unfair pay differences between animators and those working in live-action projects, and are determined to strike for better contracts for all those working in animation jobs.
Here are some reactions to Netflix’s announcement:
“Season 2” is just the second batch of episodes from season one. Nothing was “renewed.” All the episodes were made as one season and Netflix is dropping them in batches. Perfect timing for #NewDeal4Animation https://t.co/7MssmpONiI
— Nick Lauer (@nicklauerart) March 3, 2022
Just a heads up, there isn’t going to be a season 2 for The Cuphead Show. Netflix are doing a dirty move by splitting the half of Season 1 into two to avoid paying high salaries for the animators and writers. Why? Because it’s animation and not live action. #NewDeal4Animation https://t.co/AEIxr7mJlS
— Crimson Mayhem #NewDeal4Animation (@Crimson_Mayhem_) March 2, 2022
In an interview with Animation Magazine, it was revealed that Netflix did, in fact, order 36 episodes of the series. However, season 1 only had 12 episodes, each holding a runtime of ten minutes. Before we all start jumping to conclusions, it is possible that Netflix intended to break up its order into three seasons from the beginning for valid reasons. Shows such as Over the Garden Wall only had ten episodes – each running for 11 minutes- and one season, yet it was universally well-received.
Animations don’t need to strictly have a ton of episodes to do well. But, considering all the recent conversations regarding animators’ pay, and how Cuphead – unlike Over the Garden Wall – has multiple seasons pencilled into Netflix’s future schedule, the whole situation certainly raises some eyebrows. We will keep you posted as more developments come in.
In the meantime, fans can look forward to the fact that more episodes of Cuphead are on their way. If you want to explore what Netflix truly has to offer, here is our guide to the best Netflix TV series.