When it comes to TV shows, Netflix is perhaps more well known for the ones they cancel than the ones they save.
That said though, the streamer has been known to swoop in and save cancelled shows.
In some cases, it can even lead to them becoming one of their most watched series ever.
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One such case happened when an intervention by Drake led Netflix to step in and save a show with hugely positive reviews and a massive devoted audience.
With 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.4/10 on IMDb, it’s one of the highest rated shows they’ve ever produced and for many, their ‘best show ever’.
The series is Top Boy, which many will know, but might not know the story behinds its cancellation and subsequent saving by Drake.
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Top Boy, which aired multiple seasons on Netflix after its cancellation, is about tension between rival drug gangs in London.
The show originally aired on Channel 4 for the first two seasons, leading to rave reviews and a dedicated core audience.
Despite this, the show was cancelled. The series’ creator Ronan Bennett spoke about this, calling it a ‘slap in the face to the community it was representing’.
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He went on to say: “I'm not bashing Channel 4 by any means, shows come and go, but when I was arguing with them and persuading them not to cancel the show, I said, 'Why would you do this?'"
Bennett said that he received no answer, and still didn’t understand it.
The show was cancelled in 2013 and, four years later in 2017, was picked up by Netflix.
In today’s climate of, you know, him being called out at the Oscars and a diss-track about him being played at the Superbowl, it may be hard to imagine Drake having the sway to influence such a decision.
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At the time though, Drake was still his pre-Not Like Us self – one of the most streamed artists in the world.
The rapper posted about the show on his Instagram in 2014, leading star of the show Ashley Walters to reach out.
The actor arranged a meeting between Drake and the show’s creator where they cooked up a plan to bring the show back.
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Bennett said of Drake’s involvement: “It's thanks to Drake, primarily, that we're back.”
Drake said: “At first it was kind of, just for me, I was like - I need this back. But then I realised how much it meant to so many people.”
Drake was listed as an Executive Producer for the show, and it went on to get another three seasons and a spin-off.
Esquire called the show the ‘best’ Netflix had, with The Guardian’s Leila Latif saying in their five star review: “In these last chaotic, ultra-violent episodes, Dushane and Sully are pushed to the brink – and fans get a hugely rewarding conclusion.”
Top Boy is available to watch on Netflix now.
Topics: Netflix, TV, Entertainment, Drake, Top Boy, TV and Film
Michael Slavin