Every vacation has its end. HBO has announced they have canceled the comedy seriesAvenue 5after two seasons. The series was created byVeep’sArmando Iannucciand starredHugh Laurie(House),Josh Gad(Frozen),Lenora Crichlow(Black Mirror),Zach Woods(Silicon Valley),Rebecca Front(The Thick Of It),Suzy Nakamura(Dr. Ken) and more, as the crew and passengers of Avenue 5, a space cruise ship that finds itself stranded when they are knocked off course and the head engineer dies. Leaving their not-so-qualified captain (Laurie) in charge of the ship in crisis.
With its cancelation,Avenue 5joins the now growing list of live action sci-fi comedies to have their lifespan cut short. Netflix optednot to pick up additional seasons the comedySpace Force, which starredSteve Carrell, whileHuluhas yet to renewSeth McFarlane’sThe Orvillefollowing Season 3.
Season 1 ofAvenue 5premiered in early 2020 and was quickly renewed before Covid-19 delayed season two until October 2022, potentially playing a factor into why HBO declined to move forward. The series' future became even more bleak last May when the cast members werereleased from their contractsand star, Laurie, signed on to be the lead in the third season ofTehran. When speaking on the series, an HBO spokesperson stated the below.
“Going to space with Armando Iannucci has been an incredible journey, while we will not be moving forward with a third season of ‘Avenue 5,’ we look forward to many more adventures together.”
RELATED:Zach Woods & Lenora Crichlow Reveal the Craziest Part of ‘Avenue 5’ Season 2
Could Avenue 5 Find a Home Somewhere Else?
While it is possibleAvenue 5’s producers could shop the series to other networks and streaming services for a third season renewal, it’s unlikely since series creator is already in production on HBO’s upcoming comedyThe Franchisealongside Sam Mendes. The upcoming series is set to debut later this year and starsBilly Magnussen,Jessica Hynes,Darren Goldstein,Lolly Adefope, andIsaac Powell. While few details have been revealed, it looks to poke fun at the political ins-and-outs of an MCU-esque blockbuster franchise by following “a hopeful crew trapped inside the dysfunctional, nonsensical, joyous hellscape of franchise superhero moviemaking”.
Along with Iannucci,Avenue 5was produced byKevin Loader,Will Smith,Simon BlackwellandTony Roche. Check out the trailer for season 2 below, as well as Collider’s interview with Iannucci andNikki Amuka-Birdon how to make a catastrophe in space funny.
