Cr. Anna Kooris/Netflix © 2024
Pulse, Netflix’s first US medical drama, got off to a relatively strong start but won’t be getting renewed after a flailing performance in the weeks that followed its launch. Deadline has now confirmed that the series won’t be coming back, with the cast and crew told about the cancellation in May or June. Why was Pulse ultimately canceled? It comes down to the numbers.
As a reminder, Zoe Robyn is the co-showrunner of the medical series that was developed alongside executive producer Carlton Cuse. Netflix premiered 10 episodes of the medical drama on April 3rd, 2025.
The series is Netflix’s first medical drama from the US, although not its first ever, as international titles like Hospital Playlist and Breathless ultimately beat it to the punch. However, it comes at a time when Netflix is experimenting more with genres that have traditionally performed well on cable and broadcast television.
Reviews were mixed on the show, ultimately earning it a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 58% from audiences. It performed slightly better on IMDb, scoring a 6.8/10.
In our renewal status article, we ultimately remained 50/50 on the future of Pulse. Still, on July 2nd, 2025, just ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend, Deadline dropped the bomb that the series had been canceled, alongside The Residence.
There were plans for a second season, of course, with cast and crew talking about their intentions in the promotional campaign for season 1. We also got an early positive indication that more was on the way with the WGA listing season 2 of PULSE in its database. Of course, that just means scripts were being developed, not that a season 2 had been greenlit, but it was a positive early step with Netflix investing early in a potential season 2.
According to Deadline, Pulse “was quietly axed well over a month ago when the medical drama’s cast and creatives were notified, with the actors already up for new jobs.”
Why was Pulse canceled after one season?
It ultimately came down to viewership numbers, including the number of hours viewed and the total number of views, as well as other factors that we don’t have visibility into, such as completion rates and budgets.
The weekly Netflix top 10 lists gave us the earliest cause for concern when compared to other shows that had been previously renewed or canceled.
The series featured in that global top 10 list for four weeks before dropping out, picking up 162.10 million hours watched, equating to 20.20 million views. Here’s how its performance breaks down week to week, noting that viewership dropped 62 percent from weeks 2 to 3:
| Week in Top 10 | Week Period | Hours Viewed | Views / CVE | Weekly Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 30th, 2025 to April 6th, 2025 | 52,000,000 (New) | 6,500,000 | 3 |
| 2 | April 6th, 2025 to April 13th, 2025 | 68,100,000 (+31%) | 8,500,000 | 3 |
| 3 | April 13th, 2025 to April 20th, 2025 | 25,800,000 (-62%) | 3,200,000 | 7 |
| 4 | April 20th, 2025 to April 27th, 2025 | 16,200,000 (-37%) | 2,000,000 | 9 |
We also know that the series featured in the weekly top 10s of 82 countries (out of a possible 91), with the strongest performers being Israel at six weeks, Austria, Germany, Italy, and a handful of others at four weeks.
Stacking up its performance, then, we can see where it placed around shows like The Residence, which has also been canceled, and Obliterated, one of Netflix’s most-watched cancellations in its history.
When comparing its performance to other first-season debuts, you can see in red those that were canceled and in green those that were renewed, along with their views metric 14 days after release.
It’s worth noting that Carlton Cuse remains in business at Netflix, teaming up with Robert Langdon to adapt Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets into a TV series.
Are you disappointed that we won’t be seeing a second season of Pulse on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!