Despite some recent encouraging signs, Season 2 of Netflix’s sci-fi drama series Sense8, from Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski, will be its last as the Internet network has opted not to proceed with a third. The decision comes less than a month after the May 5 release of Season 2.

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“After 23 episodes, 16 cities and 13 countries, the story of the Sense8 cluster is coming to an end,” Netflix VP original content Cindy Holland said in a statement. “It is everything we and the fans dreamed it would be: bold, emotional, stunning, kick ass, and outright unforgettable. Never has there been a more truly global show with an equally diverse and international cast and crew, which is only mirrored by the connected community of deeply passionate fans all around the world. We thank Lana, Lilly, Joe and Grant (Hill) for their vision, and the entire cast and crew for their craftsmanship and commitment.”

Because of the big-budget show’s lengthy pre-production, production and post-production — the Season 2 debut came almost two years after the series premiere — the options on the cast had expired, and Netflix had let them lapse.

But as Season 2 episodes were edited this past winter, Netflix reached out to the core actors and negotiated new contracts to make them available for a potential third season. That was not meant to be.

The eight main roles on the show were played by Toby Onwumere (who replaced Aml Ameen at the start of Season 2), Doona Bae, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton, Max Riemelt, Miguel Ángel Silvestre and Brian J. Smith.

With its dense mythology, Sense8 never became a broad, pop-culture hit like Netflix’s Orange is the Ne Black or Stranger Things but quickly established a loyal following by devoted fans who had been rallying for a third season renewal. Their number was likely not enough to clinch another season of the expensive, globe-trotting sci-fi saga, which was produced by Netflix.

The streaming network also recently canceled another big-budget drama series from a top filmmaker, Baz Luhrman’s The Get Down, after one season. It came from an outside studio, Sony TV.