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I dont know what they wanted that they didnt get.
The end of the show continuesa pattern for Netflix, which often cancels popular series after two seasons.
It took them a long time to make the call, which is unusual.
Netflix can be very quick about pulling the plug on things theyre not going to continue.
Something that was fine three months ago is suddenly not what they need.
You have a call and they give you numbers seven days in and then 28 days in.
Our numbers seemed fine.
It was what they expected.
It was pretty close to what we did last season, so I wasnt too worried.
Then, as the decision to renew the show kept dragging on, I started to get concerned.
At the same time, the show has been so critically well received.
Weve been nominated for and wonso many awards.
Numbers that were totally respectable and successful last year were suddenly seen in a different way.
Do you ever wish you had the data?
I know our numbers at Netflix wouldve been the biggest hit in many other places.
You dont know what numbers other comparable shows are hitting.
Youre flying a little blind.
Parents dont necessarily let kids sit and watch six hours of television at a time probably rightly!
Or they want to save it so they can all watch together.
Our executives were certainly aware of this and tried to make the case for us.
I started working onGLOWin 2016, so a lot of different philosophies and priorities have come and gone.
Initially at Netflix, it was okay to have a smaller audience and be quirkier or more particular.
As theyve grown, I think that philosophy has changed somewhat.
I dont know exactly how they figure out whats worth it.
But they would sometimes have notes that felt like they were based on data.
Theyre open about that!
They have so much data; it can be helpful, and it can also be tricky to integrate.
How is that possible?
Why is this not getting in front of people that want to watch it?
Do you wonder if its easier to dismiss shows about young girls?
Girls are expected to go straight fromDoc McStuffinstoEuphoria.
Theyre not ready for TV about having sex, but they dont want to be little girls.
So who are they?
What if you werent missing those 20 years?
What if you always got to be yourself and see yourself represented in a real way?
And not have to be all about who thinks youre pretty or who thinks you have the right clothes?
Its not about adults telling them who they are.
Its about how they see themselves.
A show like this has tremendous nostalgic potential.
People who grew up reading the books, people who have kids that age … Its not going to if they dont know its there!
Just knowing what our numbers were, the audience is there.
Its not like no one watched it.
For whatever reason, the right people didnt watch it at the right time for Netflix right now.
Is this the end of the show, in your mind?
I think it will be complicated.
Theyre trapped in amber she wrote the books for 16 years, and they never got older.
Theres been talk of trying to do a movie, but we didnt make the show with Netflix.
We made the show with an outside studio, Walden Media, who is so wonderful.
It might be difficult.
So I dont know.
Ive heard from so many people who are very sad about it and angry.
Thats gratifying in some ways, I guess.
[Note: This is an exaggeration.
They are closer to 20.
]It reminds me of when people would talk about models being too thin.
Its somebody elses fault.
In media, youll speak to female executives who say, I wish it wasnt this way.
If only you were in a position to do something about this!
I think female audiences are trained to not take their own stories as seriously.
Stuff men were obsessed with when they were 9 is treated likeHamlet.
How manySpider-Manmovies are there?
They tell it over and over again from different perspectives.
Thats all fine, obviously.
But what if someone treated something for girls that seriously?
Even with a fraction of the money.
What was your vision for the third season?I really wanted to do a Super Special.
I was trying to figure out,Should they go to New York?
Season two ends on a pretty good note.
But we had more stories to tell, and I miss the girls.
I loved working with them.
Theyre extraordinary actresses and people.
Was it hard to tell them the show would be ending?I wasnt the one that told them.
I couldnt do it.
Theyve all been great sports about it, but theyre sad.
Theyre so close with each other.
It really bums me out that the cancellation made them say good-bye to each other before they were ready.
Im so proud of the show.
Its thebest-reviewed show Netflix ever made.
What more could you want it to be?I dont know.
I dont know what they wanted that they didnt get.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
