Netflix has gained a somewhat unfair reputation as being the streamer most likely to cancel a series after a single season, even when a show seems to have been doing well in viewership. That is why their latest renewal has come as something of a surprise, considering the show in question has not even bothered the top half of the platform’s chart since its debut last week. The series is the new animated horror comedy Haunted Hotel, which features the voices of Will Forte, Eliza Coupe, Skyler Gisondo, Jimi Simpson, and Natalie Palamides among others. Created by Matt Roller, and with executive producers Dan Harmon and Steven Levy of Rick and Morty fame on board, the series has been hailed as a love letter to horror fans and certainly pleased audiences who tuned in to binge their way through the 10-episdoe first season. Haunted Hotel comes with a quite simple premise: a single mother and her two children run a hotel that is lacking in guests that are not ghosts. One of these spooks is also her estranged brother (Forte), who believes that the ghosts have plenty of great ideas about how the hotel should be run. The series has plenty of crazy storylines and more horror movie Easter eggs than any lover of the genre could wish for, and it seems that all of this has paid off with Netflix granting it a second season despite its seemingly lacking viewership volumes. Although it received a mixed response from critics, the series’ Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at an impressive 94%.
Is ‘Haunted Hotel’ a Hit on Netflix?

It is always difficult to gauge the success of a streaming show, as some shows with mixed to negative reviews (Emily in Paris immediately comes to mind) have been allowed to roll on for multiple seasons, while others such as The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Waterfront, and many more have been cut loose after a single season. Haunted Hotel’s Season 2 renewal is surprising for a couple of reasons. The series has been out less than a week, making the announcement incredibly quick compared to the weeks or months some shows must wait in order to discover their fate. The biggest factor in any renewal is usually a strong viewership, and that usually means a dominant place on the streaming charts. Haunted Hotel has yet to break into the streamer’s top three, and with the whole season being available to watch in one five-hour marathon, its inability to climb higher than fourth place in the chart (for one day) made it a surprising candidate for more episodes. However, there could be another explanation for the renewal, one that played out with HBO Max’s heavily panned Scooby-Doo series. Velma. Just like that show, it could be possible that the second season was made at the same time as the first and is already complete and waiting to air. This could mean that the performance of the series was irrelevant, and Season 2 would always be happening regardless. That being said, the audience-pleasing Season 1 reviews could mean that another season is what it needs to boost its fanbase and finally break out into the hit it clearly has the potential to be.

Release Date

September 19, 2025

Network

Netflix

Directors

Erica Hayes