Prime Video has cancelled Ride or Die after one season, despite the buddy spy comedy starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham becoming one of the platform’s strongest-performing new scripted series.
The show premiered in July and regularly reached the top spot in Prime Video’s US rankings. It also entered Luminate’s weekly US streaming rankings after only two days, recording 927,000 views.
That figure was twice the total for Elle and almost four times that of Off Campus, both of which have been renewed.
Ride or Die also debuted at number eight on Nielsen’s overall streaming chart, with 869 million minutes viewed, and ranked third among original programmes. In its second week, it rose to number four overall and number two among originals.
Across its first two weeks, the series became Prime Video’s most-watched new scripted show of the previous year. It also received strong scores from critics and viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, with ratings of 96% and 85% respectively.
What is Ride or Die about?
The series follows best friends Debbie Claybourne, played by Spencer, and Judith Burton, played by Waddingham. Debbie believes she knows everything about Judith, until she discovers that her friend is an international assassin.
After a mysterious figure from Judith’s past reappears and a hit goes wrong, the pair are forced to flee across Europe. They find themselves pursued by law enforcement officers, trained assassins and dangerous criminals.
Although Prime Video will not commission a second season, the show’s main studio, Paramount Television Studios, is reportedly seeking another home for the series.
Spencer and Waddingham also served as executive producers. The cast includes Ed Skrein, Calam Lynch, Savannah Steyn, Jamie Parker, Jacky Ido, Sylvia Hoeks and Bill Nighy.
