It didn’t last as long as expected, but it’s hardly a surprise: Étoile was abruptly canceled before it could even rehearse new steps. The reception was lukewarm, even among dance critics (more on that later), and what’s striking is that a second season had already been greenlit — which leaves little room to escape the verdict: this was a failure.

The series, created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, was deeply personal for the duo — Amy was once a ballerina — and marked their second unsuccessful attempt to explore the ballet world on screen. After the awards and acclaim of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon Prime Video had such faith in the project that it ordered two seasons straight to series, bypassing the usual pilot phase. Walking back so decisively is a sign of the times.

Étoile was produced quickly and premiered about six weeks ago, dropping all eight episodes at once. Set in the world of ballet, the show followed two historic but struggling companies — one in New York and the other in Paris — as they tried to reinvent themselves. The directors of both institutions, played by Luke Kirby (also from Maisel) and Charlotte Gainsbourg, decide to swap their principal dancers in a bold attempt to survive an artistic and institutional crisis.

On paper, it looked perfect. But despite its promising premise, impeccable aesthetics, and glamorous locations in New York and Paris, Étoile failed to break into Nielsen’s Top 10 most-streamed shows during its release window. That made it a hard sell financially, especially amid internal changes at Amazon. Jen Salke, the former studio head who championed the project, stepped down in late March — though she signed a producing deal on her way out.

In the end, Étoile becomes another example of the streaming industry’s new phase, where high-budget stories — whether fantasy, period pieces, or international dramas like this one — must break out to justify their place on the ledger. Praise from critics or niche fans is no longer enough. For those working in the industry, this moment was always looming. The shift in distribution windows that shortened theatrical runs or bypassed TV’s advertising backbone was never a sustainable model. The old business formula wasn’t driven by a nostalgic attachment to cinema or broadcast television — it was simply the only one that reliably brought returns. That’s what created the hierarchy that not even Netflix could overturn. I’ll explore this in more depth another time. For now, I’m torn between feeling for Étoile and understanding why its life was so short.

Even after its cancellation, Étoile remains a delicate and sophisticated portrayal of the ballet world and the tensions between tradition and reinvention. For those who love dance, it’s worth watching — while it’s still available. But the truth is: dance still struggles to translate into another medium. And that’s just sad.