By TeeJay Small
| Published
Netflix has a long and storied history of canceling fan-favorite shows long before their time. That’s what happened with the hit Netflix original Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, despite fans demanding the show get a second season after the exemplary outing of its first batch of episodes.
The series initially dropped its first eight episodes in October of 2022, and was never mentioned again by the streaming giant. But it’s one of the best things Netflix has ever done, and a must-see for fans of the genre.
As the Netflix original series’ title would suggest, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities was created and developed by legendary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. The show features a series of horror vignettes, each jam-packed with del Toro’s trademark blend of practical effects, off-beat humor, and gothic elements.
Over the course of the first eight episodes, the show showcased such massive stars as F. Murray Abraham, Rupert Grint, Kate Micucci, Crispin Glover, Martin Starr, and The Walking Dead‘s Andrew Lincoln.
Netflix first announced the creation of Cabinet of Curiosities in 2018, with Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, and Gary Ungar attached as executive producers. Guillermo del Toro provides a brief introduction to each of the stories, in an homage to legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock’s 1962 variety show. The Hellboy 2: The Golden Army filmmaker also served as a writer for each of the episodes, and hand-picked directors for the project, including The Babadook‘s Jennifer Kent, Mandy‘s Panos Cosmatos, and Twilight‘s Catherine Hardwicke.
Despite Netflix’s disinterest in producing new episodes, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities received near-universal praise from critics and audiences alike. The series holds a staggering 93 percent certified fresh critic score on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes and has received nominations for a wide array of prestigious awards.
Among the awards, Cabinet of Curiosities has taken home major wins from the Art Directors Guild Awards and Primetime Emmys, in the categories of Excellence in Production Design for a Television Movie or Limited Series and Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program respectively.
Of course, one key issue that may be preventing Netflix from green-lighting additional installments of Cabinet of Curiosities is Guillermo del Toro’s own busy schedule. Del Toro is listed as a director for at least 3 upcoming projects, and serves as a producer for several more, making him one of the busiest working filmmakers today.
Regardless of del Toro’s calendar, and no matter how long has passed since the first season, Netflix subscribers worldwide would be overjoyed to see additional seasons of Cabinet of Curiosities on the horizon.
Still, hope isn’t completely dead. Guillermo del Toro seems to have a very positive working relationship with Netflix’s decision-makers, meaning he could likely pick the show back up whenever he has the time. Send them a message by streaming episodes of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities today.
