Why Ride Or Die Was Canceled At Prime Video
by Sandy Schaefer · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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"Ride or Die" is one of Prime Video's biggest new hits in 2026, although you wouldn't know it from the way the streamer has acted. Created by Tessa Coates and overseen by showrunner Matt Miller, the show stars Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham as Debbie and Judith, two women who've been best friends for roughly 20 years. Judith, however, is secretly an assassin who's gotten very good at killing people. (Don't worry: in the immortal words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Yeah, but they were all bad.") Hence, when complications arise as a result of her day job, Judith and Debbie are, naturally, forced to go on the run together.
This type of buddy action comedy setup is comfortable territory for Miller (who also developed and ran Fox's since-canceled "Lethal Weapon" TV show), and it very much plays to the comedic strengths of seasoned pros like Waddingham and the Oscar-winning Spencer. "Ant-Man" trilogy helmer Peyton Reed similarly matches the playful touch that Coates and her fellow writers bring to the table with his direction on the first two episodes, carefully blending the show's hijinks with an earnest depiction of a tried and true friendship between two middle-aged women.
Sure enough, critics and general audiences have responded well to "Ride or Die." Besides earning top marks from the vast majority of reviewers, Deadline has reported that the show was "said to be Prime Video's most watched new scripted series in the U.S. from 7/30/25 to 7/29/26" following its debut on July 15, 2026. So ... why on Earth was the show canceled after just one season, then?
Per Deadline, its "focus on middle-aged women" and "appeal to women of a certain age" (despite its crossover success) are the most likely culprits. That's both shocking and, frankly, not at all surprising at once.
Ride or Die was likely canceled due to sexism and ageism (yes, really)
At the risk of stating the obvious, anyone who claims women-focused shows aren't held to a different standard than men-led ones isn't convincing anybody. Heck, "Ride or Die" is actually the second well-reviewed, women-fronted, new 2026 buddy comedy thriller show to be canceled after the Peacock series "Ponies." In that case, to be fair, it seems that the show did struggle a bit when it came to viewership. The thing is, in light of the billions of dollars that Peacock has bled since its launch, that's likely true of many cost-comparable series that the streamer has renewed. So, it's telling that "Ponies" got axed, but they didn't.
Along those same lines, Deadline's sources have indicated that sexism and ageism played a very direct role in "Ride or Die" getting the boot after what was, by all counts, a very successful first season. Per the outlet:
It sounds cynical, but I hear that that demographic is not very desirable for Amazon executives as a lot of middle-aged women already have Amazon Prime for shopping, so a show targeting them would not bring new subscribers. That is what may have happened with "Ride Or Die," I hear.
This wouldn't be the first time that Amazon canceled a well-received women-focused show for convoluted and disdainful commercial reasons, either, as that was also the case a few years back when it dropped Prime Video's "A League of Their Own" TV series. Doubtlessly, the various talented folks who made "Ride or Die" sing will manage to land on their feet, but that doesn't mean they should have to after hitting a clear home run in the first place. Such is life in the streaming era.