Why Netflix Really Canceled Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘FUBAR’ – Here’s the Real Reason

Netflix just pulled the plug on FUBAR, the action-packed spy thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, after two seasons, leaving fans bummed out. The cancellation, announced on Friday, likely stems from a massive drop in viewership for the second season, according to various sources. FUBAR marked Schwarzenegger’s first venture into TV, and its debut season in 2023 was a hit, topping Nielsen’s streaming charts with 1.53 billion viewing minutes in its premiere week.

It also scored 11 million views on Netflix’s Top 10 list, snagging the number-one spot. The show followed Luke, a CIA operative played by Schwarzenegger, who discovers his daughter Emma is also a spy. Together, they tackled a high-stakes mission with plenty of action and cheeky humor. Fans loved the father-daughter dynamic and the show’s wild twists, but critics were less impressed, giving it a 51% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average of 5.4/10.

“With jokes that fall flat and a story that borrows liberally from star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s earlier career triumphs, FUBAR is just OK,” the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus read. Metacritic gave it a 48/100 based on 25 reviews, calling it “mixed or average.”

Season two, which dropped in 2025, couldn’t keep up the momentum. Viewership crashed to 412 million minutes in its debut week, a 73% drop from season one, per Nielsen. On Netflix’s Top 10, it barely hit 2.2 million views in four days, landing at number seven in week two before falling off entirely by week three with 1.8 million views, according to Deadline.

The season introduced new faces like Carrie-Anne Moss as Greta Nelson, Luke’s ex-flame and a former East German spy, and Guy Burnet as Theodore Chips, an ex-MI6 agent with a secret. The plot ramped up with Luke and Emma fighting a terrorist bent on repopulating the planet, ending with a big twist about the villain’s identity.

Despite a higher audience score of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes compared to season one’s 68%, critics gave it a 46% rating, saying, “FUBAR doesn’t mess with its formula beyond recognition in a second season that’s not without its charms but still hampered by clunky scripting.”

Metacritic scored it a 59/100 based on six reviews, still “mixed or average.” The sharp decline in streaming numbers, despite Schwarzenegger’s star power and the show’s fun vibe, likely led to its cancellation.

Fans are disappointed, as the second season’s higher audience approval suggested it still had a loyal following. FUBAR now joins the growing list of Netflix shows cut short, ending Schwarzenegger’s TV run for now. While there’s no official word on why Netflix made the call, the numbers tell a clear story: season two just didn’t pull in the viewers needed to keep it going. Fans can still rewatch the action and laughs of both seasons on Netflix, but hopes for a third are officially dashed.

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