![[SBJ] Netflix’s ‘Starting 5’ has been cancelled.](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/9b6f5Z8Z5gA7yWWDxjIKsHNLULfXDs0wYYMgQJaCSM.jpeg)
The sports documentary space is robust, but it ain’t easy. I’m hearing that “Starting 5” is getting benched after a two-season run on Netflix.
The NBA-focused effort tracked five players over the course of the season, and even with a fortuitous ending with two of its characters reaching the seven-game NBA Finals (Pacers G Tyrese Haliburton and Thunder G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), the audience just wasn’t there to keep the show going. Rockets F Kevin Durant, Clippers G James Harden and Celtics F Jaylen Brown were also featured in Season 2, while Lakers F LeBron James, Kings F Domantas Sabonis, Warriors G Jimmy Butler, T’Wolves G Anthony Edwards and Celtics F Jayson Tatum were featured in Season 1. Omaha Productions, James’ SpringHill Co. and Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground were executive producers on the show.
Netflix’s first batch of internal data for “Starting 5” Season 2 won’t be available until early 2026, but as noted by the Entertainment Strategy Guy, various third-party numbers weren’t looking good for the series. Internal Season 1 numbers from Netflix during the second half of 2024 were well behind the NFL docuseries “Quarterback,” and that trend was likely continued in the back of half of this year with both series’ second seasons.
41 comments
Ngl, I didn’t even know this was a thing.
What a shame, really enjoyed both seasons
Damn that sucks. Classic Netflix move though
That second season was so fire. It’s also a good way to get people to know more about the players and their personalities. Oh well
Netflix will always cancel most everything after 1-2 seasons. They sign creators on for cheap to get them in the door with promises for bonuses after 2 seasons and then just cancel the show instead.
https://www.wired.com/story/why-netflix-keeps-canceling-shows-after-just-2-seasons/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Edit: Since this post has gained traction, I’ve had ppl try to make this about me using AI or something. I simply used cgpt to help me locate the OG source of my info cuz I found it easier that Google.
The second season with OKC and the Pacers was fucking great. Shame it’s not going to get a third season.
That’s too bad. The first season was just ok, but the second season was much better. Guess it was just too late.
Just fell to my knees in Walmart
It was kind of Meh and watered down. But I enjoyed watching it with the wife.
I enjoyed it bummer
Really enjoyed both seasons, was interested to see who’d they pick for a season 3. Sucks
This is how I find out that Season 2 is already out
That sucks, my fiancé and I really enjoyed it. We were hoping S3 would have Curry and Brunson involved.
It’s light content, but we loved it.
The way this season is progressing I was really hoping to watch the behind the scenes that made this year so competitive. Imagine Jokic or Luka being a part of this and we all get to watch them go crazy in the NBA and then play the Euro League and some horses maybe sprinkled in there who knows. Sigh.
Good, I love the nba but so tired of these look at me I’m so rich shows.
I was wondering why we didn’t know the cast for the next season yet, it would’ve been reported by now. Too bad, I really enjoyed the show
I LOVE sports and didn’t watch a minute. Was it good stuff?
Maybe because the first season was so ass, no one wants to watch ‘we did it’ Tatum and thinning hair brown. They got the personalities of a stale half-empty bag of lays potato chips.
So many shows try to copy the ‘Drive to Survive’ model but it’s just not that interesting behind the scenes with basketball, golf, tennis.
I’m currently working on a docuseries on my youtube channel on Kevin Durant. I’m releasing 4 episodes in February.
https://youtube.com/@moorehoops3490?si=4kPvQhUcpmVcEjwz
As someone who enjoys sports documentaries, the 2nd season was amazing. Specifically the last episode. Sucks that Netflix cancelled it.
I don’t care enough about these guys off the court to care about this news
That’s because it sucked.
Tyrese Haliburton: fun guy to hang out with. His girlfriend is boring, and tracking Tyrese getting an engagement ring for her is boring.
Jaylen Brown: incredibly boring. Monotone voice, zero passion about anything, speaks in worthless word salads. No idea why he was on the show.
Kevin Durant: pretty interesting, forthcoming and honest.
James Harden: terribly boring. Did not want to reveal anything. Does not speak directly about anything. It was briefly entertaining when his girlfriend talked about him and how he has no game.
SGA: sorta kinda interesting until you realize he’s a wannabe fashionista egotist who’s also a really nice Canadian family man.
Season 2 was better than Season 1. I wanted to see how a 3rd season would fair but I guess we’ll never know until it gets picked up by another distributor.
The thing about basketball is we get plenty of their personalities while they’re playing, it’s not like F1 or NFL where we need to get to know them. Also, the fact that those sports play once a week, gives you time to digest non-game content.
I can’t say I’m surprised. Didn’t have the same feel or entertainment value in my opinion as some of their other successful sports documentary series.
There’s a reason why Full Swing is going onto its 4th season and Drive to Survive is heading into season 8. I know hating on corporate America and executives is cool and all and I have my fair share of gripes there, but I really think this comes down to ratings and there’s not much more to it. If a series is popular and drawing subscribers, it’s going to be renewed.
NBA popularity is not as high as some on this sub will tell you
I just don’t care about these guys enough to watch footage of their personal lives.
Couldn’t stomach the first season. The players were so boring
The players just aren’t interesting enough.. and that’s by their choice.
Using that money for the Taylor and Travis wedding. Sad
This show was great! I was expecting Brunson and Wemby on this season. Sad to see it go
I liked it, but needed more basketball. I get wanting to humanize/show the players outside of the game, but I honestly could care less about the players’ wives and girlfriends. Felt like they got way too much screen time in the second season. Felt more like on the edge of some real housewives type stuff.
Def think Prime could pick this up though and see it going more basketball focused.
Might be an unpopular opinion but I’d be way more interested in an ‘end of the bench 5’ that followed guys trying to stay in the league. Would be more compelling from a human perspective (to me at least). Also would reinforce how nuts the level of talent in the league is to even be there.
They should have released it during the off-season
That’s interesting because I actually watched this season and I barely watch Netflix.
They did a terrible job marketing the second season, so they may want to look inward as to why it didn’t get the results they wanted. I’m an NBA fan and a regular TV watcher and had no clue S2 was out.
Big basketball fan but the show was “meh” to me from the beginning.
Turns out I see enough of these dudes off the court to begin with so the mystery is kind of dead going in.
good. too many of these stupid shows
Netflix sucks.
I have friends who have no idea it exists. They play basketball and have a Netflix subscription. It just wasn’t advertised in Europe