Confirming what had been generally accepted and expected, Showtime announced on Wednesday (June 13) that the upcoming eighth season of “Weeds” will be the show’s last.
“Weeds” will launch its eighth and final season on Sunday, July 1. The 13 episode wrap-up will include the 100th episode for the show, an impressive milestone for a cable comedy.
“‘Weeds’ has been a seminal series for Showtime and was key in establishing the network as a home for great original programming,” blurbs Showtime Entertainment President David Nevins, President of Entertainment. “It has had a groundbreaking run, and will be one of the longest-running comedies in the history of cable. It was very important to us that we bring the story of Nancy Botwin and her family to a satisfying conclusion for the devoted fans who have spent years following these characters. Jenji has surprised us every step of the way with her storytelling and I am confident in her plan for a spectacular series conclusion.”
Created by Jenji Kohan, “Weeds” premiered on August 7, 2005 and introduced audiences to suburban widow Nancy Botwin, who turned to peddling marijuana to keep her family afloat. Over the next seven seasons, we saw Nancy become a full-on kingpin, burn her community to the ground, marry a Mexican cartel lord, spend time in prison and do a generally horrid job of raising two sons (and a third less-relevant son).
In addition to a Golden Globe win for star Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds” earned 21 Emmy nominations, 10 Golden Globe nods and six SAG Award nominations.
“‘Weeds’ was a groundbreaking series for us,” blurbs Kevin Beggs, President, Lionsgate Television Group. “The brilliant work of Jenji Kohan, Mary-Louise Parker and the entire cast and creative team — and the resulting popularity of the series both here and abroad – were game-changing for our TV division and set the stage for all the shows we”ve produced since. Though it will be hard to say goodbye, this last season will be an exciting one that we trust will reward fans with a conclusion befitting their support and loyalty for so many years.”
The eighth season of “Weeds” will pick up in the aftermath of last year’s sniper cliffhanger, as Nancy and her family begin a new life in Old Sandwich, Connecticut. While the opening tragedy initially changes things, Nancy and company soon fall into old habits. Of course they do.