Sometimes Netflix cancellations hurt. Then there are the cancellations that feel downright criminal. The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself belongs firmly in the second category.
Released in October 2022, the British fantasy drama arrived with almost no fanfare, delivered eight episodes of absolute chaos, queer tension, witch warfare, blood magic, and emotional damage, then disappeared before most people even realized it existed. By the time many viewers finally found it, Netflix had already canceled it. Naturally, the internet is still furious about it.
Based on Sally Green’s wildly successful novel Half Bad, which famously set a Guinness World Record as the “Most Translated Book by a Debut Author, Pre-publication,” according to the Children’s Book Council. The series had all the ingredients for a massive fandom. Fantasy? Check. Forbidden romance? Check. Hot morally complicated witches? Absolutely.
At the center of the storm is Nathan Byrne, played by Jay Lycurgo (Titans, Steve) with the exact amount of chaos and vulnerability required to make audiences instantly obsessed with him. Nathan is the illegitimate son of Marcus Edge, the most feared witch in the world, which basically means everyone already assumes he is doomed to become dangerous before he even gets the chance to figure himself out.
And honestly? The poor guy barely gets a moment to breathe.
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Nathan, Gabriel, and the Queer Romance That Had Everyone Hooked
While the show begins like a dark fantasy thriller, it quickly transforms into something far more interesting. Beneath all the magic and violence is an intensely emotional queer coming-of-age story.
Nathan’s bisexuality is not treated like a shocking reveal or a throwaway side plot. It simply exists as part of who he is. His connection with Annalise O’Brien, played by Nadia Parkes, carries plenty of emotional weight, but it is his relationship with Gabriel, played by Emilien Vekemans, that completely took over viewers’ brains.
Gabriel arrives on screen with messy energy, flirtation, sarcasm, and enough chemistry with Nathan to short-circuit the entire series. Their relationship feels natural, intimate, and deeply emotional without losing the chaotic tension that makes fantasy romances so addictive to watch.
One minute they are arguing. The next they are saving each other’s lives… and making out. Then suddenly they are sharing devastatingly tender moments while covered in blood and trauma. Peak television, honestly.
95. Nathan & Gabriel (The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself) pic.twitter.com/gXuxP64Z5b
— mikey (@buckIeydiaz) July 5, 2025
What made the relationship hit even harder was how organic it felt. The show never paused to pat itself on the back for including queer characters. Nathan’s sexuality was woven directly into the story instead of being treated like representation homework.
That authenticity is probably why fans connected to it so intensely.
Netflix and Its Habit of Canceling Queer Favorites
Unfortunately, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself joined the growing cemetery of beloved queer Netflix shows canceled far too early.
Fans are still mourning series like Dead Boy Detectives, Glamorous, Boots, and Olympo, all of which built passionate audiences only to get cut down before they had the chance to fully grow. It has become such a pattern that queer viewers now practically watch new Netflix shows with emotional helmets on.
And the reactions to Bastard Son’s cancellation say everything.
“The devil’s bastard son is one of Netflix’s best series and nobody watched it.”
“The main character is so cute. It’s a shame it got canceled.”
“I’ll never get over it.”
Honestly? Same.
The frustrating part is that the series had all the makings of a long-running cult fantasy hit. The world-building was rich without becoming confusing. The performances were magnetic. The soundtrack slapped. The romance worked. Even the fight scenes had style.
Most importantly, it felt different.
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At a time when fantasy television often takes itself painfully seriously, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself embraced messiness, desire, violence, humor, and emotional vulnerability all at once. It understood that audiences do not just want mythology. They want characters who feel alive. Nathan, Gabriel, and Annalise felt alive.
Now the show exists in that tragic category of television that fans passionately recommend with the warning: “Just know it ends too soon.” Still, maybe that is part of why people continue discovering it years later. Some canceled shows vanish completely. Bastard Son refuses to die quietly.
Honestly, for a story about the son of the world’s most dangerous witch, that feels weirdly appropriate.