HBO Cancels Sci-Fi Comedy Series Avenue 5 After Two Seasons

Back in 2020, HBO premiered its comedy series Avenue 5 from Veep creator Armando Iannucci. Starring Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad, the show about a luxury spaceship knocked off course during a routine cruise event has had a long gap between that debut season and its second outing, the latter of which hit back in October 2022.

Those hoping for more of the show after season two will be disappointed to hear that HBO has formally canceled the series. Per Variety, the series’ end was due to its reviews and viewership across both seasons, which were largely just okay. It didn’t sound like it was hitting with HBO audiences in the way that its other comedies like Insecure or Barry were, and the fact that its second season was kneecapped by the pandemic didn’t help matters either. In a press release, HBO said that working on the show with Iannucci was “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.”

Iannucci already has his next project with the network lined up with The Franchise, the upcoming series he co-created with director Sam Mendes. Unlike Avenue 5, that show will be set in the present day and focus on crew members who work together on the set of a popular superhero movie franchise. Late last year, the show’s main cast was announced, which includes Billy Magnussen, Jessica Hynes, and Lolly Adefope, with MCU alums Richard E. Grant and Daniel Brühl set as recurring guest stars.

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