What Happens When a Bad Show Becomes a Streaming Hit?

A TV show about dinosaurs popping up in Los Angeles might sound like a fun idea, but that didn’t stop La Brea from getting canceled after three seasons. The show’s wild premise—a giant sinkhole opens in the city, sending people back to prehistoric times—should have been a hit. Instead, it struggled with weak writing and awkward storytelling that critics and viewers didn’t love. Despite that, Netflix picked it up, and now, years later, it’s suddenly a streaming favorite. What makes this turnaround interesting is how quickly it happened. NBC canceled La Brea in late 2023, just months after its third season wrapped up. The show never explained why it was cut short, but falling ratings and bad reviews likely played a role. Instead of fighting to keep it alive, NBC chose the fastest and cheapest option—a short final season with only six episodes. That might have seemed like a quick way out, but it ended up making the show more intriguing to online audiences.The show’s mix of absurd science and over-the-top action kept people watching, even if the logic didn’t always hold up. Time travel paradoxes? Dinosaurs in modern-day LA? It’s all a bit messy, but that chaos might be part of its charm. The visual effects were surprisingly solid for a network TV show, bringing prehistoric creatures to life in a way that didn’t feel cheap. Maybe that’s why people kept coming back, even when the story didn’t make sense. Now, with a full run available on Netflix, La Brea has found a new audience. It’s not the first canceled show to get a second chance online, but it’s surprising that a series with such low ratings would suddenly become so popular. Perhaps the mystery of its cancellation and the short final season added to its appeal. Or maybe people just enjoy watching characters run from dinosaurs, no matter how poorly the plot is put together. Either way, La Brea proves that even a flawed show can find success if it gives people something fun to watch. The real question is why it took so long to get noticed.