The animated fantasy series Avatar: The Last Airbender swiftly captured hearts upon its release and has since seen a resurgence in various adaptations, including Netflix’s recent live-action series. Similar to the original show, which ran for three seasons, the Netflix adaptation has also landed two additional seasons on the streamer following its premiere in February 2024.
However, the original animated series almost left fans on a cliffhanger, as it was nearly canceled before being renewed for Season 2 and 3. Aaron Ehasz, the show’s head writer, shared insight into the behind-the-scenes narrative of the show, as he explained how a single episode saved it from the brink of cancellation.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Was Constantly Battling the Threat of Cancelation
Aaron Ehasz worked alongside creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko on Avatar: The Last Airbender as the head writer. In an interview with SlashFilm, he opened up about how the animated series constantly battled the threat of cancelation after it was “greenlit for five scripts” initially.
“My job was to make sure those five scripts were strong enough that they would order a season of the show,” he shared. While the first season of the animated series has 20 episodes, the network greenlit only 13 episodes initially, leaving the creators even more uncertain about its future.
“So we did those scripts and then we got greenlit for 13 episodes. It wasn’t even 20,” the head writer of the show said as he explained that they were determined to showcase the story’s potential within those 13 episodes and concluded them on a high note with an episode titled The Blue Spirit.
The episode continued the series’ captivating narrative and delved deeper into Zuko’s moral complexities. Its impactful reveal contributed to the show’s acclaim and prompted an extension of seven additional episodes.
The first season, which ran for 20 episodes, also ended strongly with The Siege of the North. However, the struggles of the series were far from over, as Ehasz shared Avatar: The Last Airbender was not promptly renewed for a third season.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Almost Left Fans on a Cliffhanger
Aaron Ehasz also shared that after Season 2, there was uncertainty about Avatar: The Last Airbender’s future as it was not immediately picked up for a third season as the ratings of the show were not strong enough to land another season. “They did not pick it up after season 2—The ratings were not strong enough!” he said before adding, “Everybody was sent home for three or four months.”
The series finally received its third season after Nickelodeon’s Eric Coleman started campaigning in its favor. However, Ehasz also shared that there “was a rolling hiatus through all of season 3” as writers and the rest of the team were still away when the show was renewed. He further explained,
“All the storyboard artists had to take a couple months off, all the designers had to take a couple months off. Everyone did, because we had to catch up again on the scripts. So Avatar was essentially default cancelled between season 2 and season 3. People do not know that.”
It has since become one of the most acclaimed animated series of all time and has continued almost two decades after its initial release. The extended Avatar franchise includes a comic book series, a novel series, a prequel spin-off, and the recently released live-action adaptation on Netflix.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is available to stream on Netflix.
