'L.A.'s Finest' Season 2 Is on Netflix Now But Don't Expect a Season 3

Season 2 of L.A.'s Finest arrives on Netflix today, six months after season 1 became a surprise hit on the streaming service.

The series stars Gabrielle Union as Special Agent Sydney Burnett, the sister of Bad Boys character Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), and Jessica Alba as former criminal turned working mom Detective Nancy McKenna.

Despite the star power and connection to the Bad Boys movie franchise, the series was canceled after season 2 by Spectrum Originals.

Since its cancellation, L.A.'s Finest enjoyed a brief renaissance after the broadcast rights to both seasons were acquired by FOX. The network was without a number of shows from its 2020 fall line up due to the production shutdown caused by COVID-19.

Netflix then also acquired the rights to stream both series and released season 1 in December. Its release resonated with viewers as it became a top 10 streaming show in the United States and Canada. L.A.'s Finest spent 26 days in the top 10 list on Netflix and it could be set for another positive run now season 2 is available to stream.

Unfortunately, the show wasn't without its issues. The critics panned the first season of the show, giving it a measly 24 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience ratings are a little more forgiving, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 62 percent overall and an IMDB rating of 5.9. The series also had the misfortune of being ranked ninth on TVLine's list of The 10 Worst Shows of 2019.

While the first season aired weekly on Spectrum, the second season was delayed in June 2020. Variety reported that the decision was made after backlash grew against police shows on television amid the protests against systemic racism and police brutality in the United States. Eventually the second series was released all at once on September 9, 2020. Spectrum announced the show had been canceled the following October.

Since L.A.'s Finest was an offshoot of the Bad Boys film franchise, viewers would have been forgiven for expecting a cameo from Will Smith or Martin Lawrence. There were many Easter Eggs and nods to the main films, and even a cameo from former NBA star John Salley who played a computer hacker in the movies.

Bad Boys for Life came out in cinemas last year and Katherine Pope, Head of Originals for Spectrum Originals said there had been discussions about bringing Union and Alba into the movie.

She told The Wrap: "There were talks, because Jerry Bruckheimer and Doug Belgrad, who produce the movie, also produce L.A.'s Finest. It honestly was just the logistics."

Bad Boys for Life director Bilall Fallah also admitted to The Wrap that the film was too bloated to feature Union's character Syd, and if they did shoot it they probably would have had to cut it, which they didn't want to do.

Now both seasons of the show are on Netflix, perhaps there is hope yet. Netflix have a reputation for saving television shows canceled before their time. The streaming giant revived Arrested Development, Gilmore Girls, Full House and Degrassi to name just a few.

Season 1 and 2 of L.A.'s Finest is available to watch on Netflix now