Two Years After Cancellation, Cult Sci-Fi Series Becomes an Instant Netflix Sensation
Too weird for the mainstream and mocked by genre purists, this sci-fi oddity turned its outlandish premise into cult status — and a die-hard fanbase that never stopped fighting for more.
La Brea just moved into Netflix and immediately parked itself at #3 on the streamer’s Top 10 Most Watched list. Not bad for a show most critics shrugged off and a dedicated pocket of fans spent three seasons defending with their whole chest.
What the show actually is
La Brea ran from 2021 to 2024 and never pretended to be prestige TV. The hook is big, loud, and kind of hilarious: a disaster opens up in Los Angeles and chaos follows.
- A giant sinkhole tears open in the middle of LA.
- Half a family, plus a bunch of strangers, get swallowed and wake up in a prehistoric world they do not recognize.
- The other half stays topside: a daughter who barely survives the fall and her dad, who struggles with mental illness.
- Twist: his hallucinations might hold clues to bringing everyone back together.
The appeal (and the headache)
This show does not take itself seriously, which is a feature, not a bug. It wades through every sci-fi trope imaginable, changes lanes without signaling, and still manages to be weirdly watchable. Calling it great would be a stretch. Calling it overhated is fair. A lot of fans landed on the same vibe: it is not the best show in the world, it is definitely not the worst, and it is fun enough to root for.
Why critics hated it
Reviews were rough across the board. The usual complaints: stiff acting, rubbery CGI, and a plot that feels like it was written on a whiteboard during an earthquake. That said, if you tune in for the pulp, there is a certain goofy charm to it. One critic, Anita Singh, summed up the litmus test pretty cleanly:
"If you are happy with cheesy dialogue and characters having to run away from a CGI saber-toothed tiger after falling into a giant sinkhole that is a portal to a prehistoric dimension, then this is the show for you."
So why is it suddenly trending?
Because Netflix is its new home, and that algorithm knows how to find people who want a fast, messy, Saturday-afternoon kind of sci-fi ride. La Brea was ignored by the mainstream, dunked on by some genre snobs, and kept alive by a small but loud fanbase that stuck around through all three seasons. Now the curious are finally pressing play, and the numbers reflect that.
Should you watch it?
If you want airtight logic and awards-ready drama, skip it. If you are cool with pulpy chaos, dinosaurs that look a little too clean, and a family saga powered by very convenient visions, this scratches that itch. At minimum, it is an easy sample now that it is on Netflix and cruising in the Top 10.
Are you in the overhated-or-overrated camp on this one? Drop your take in the comments.