Netflix undeniably has a magical touch. The unintended summer of Suits on the streamer led to a greenlit spinoff. That particular universe is reigniting elsewhere (on NBC), but Netflix is also known to give cancelled or otherwise offloaded shows new life. That includes the devilishly charming Lucifer, the bafflingly incoherent Manifest, and the disturbingly addictive You, to name a few.
Now, Netflix might have done the same for Loudermilk, the former Audience Network series that ran for three seasons and then presumably died with Audience Network. The very funny show about Ron Livingston’s recovering alcoholic/grumpy a-hole character has been hitting Nielsen charts since debuting in January on Netflix, even reaching their second highest TV slot (in terms of streaming minutes). So, that has of course produced whispers about whether the show will be resurrected and where that could happen. Yes, of course, one of the co-creators has a plot in mind, so let’s talk it out.
Plot
Created by Peter Farrelly (There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber) and Bobby Mort (The Colbert Report), Loudermilk follows ex-music critic Sam Loudermilk, who hates the world and would likely feel even more anger-bear-ish in 2024. He’s sober and sarcastic as hell, but somehow, this show never wore out that mood’s “welcome” within three seasons. Instead, it’s a wholehearted little jaunt that revolves around spectacularly drawn characters.
Could the show truly return? Farrelly is all for it. There’s been zero confirmation thus far from any streaming service, but Farrelly recently told Deadline that he’s always had a fourth season story in his back pocket and “can easily pull the entire cast back together.” Oh, do tell:
“Loudermilk sells his book, finally, and now we cut back three-four years later, his book has come out. That takes a year. It’s a huge hit, and now Loudermilk’s on top of again. Loudermilk is back to being Loudermilk, and yet, he has to deal with these same guys, his group.”
“So, he’s got one foot in this celebrity world again, and he’s having lunch with Neil Young, and by the end, he has to rush back to see these guys, and it’s like how do you make that work? And it’s also the slippery slope of stardom, and it becomes Loudermilk meets Larry Sanders because you got real celebrities in there and real rock stars, and it really gets fun,” Farrelly explains.
Farrelly further suggested that he will start floating his ideas to various streaming services, but his “dream” destination is Netflix: “It’s got a home there.” He’s not joking.
Cast
There shall be no Loudermilk without Ron Livingston’s grump face. From there, ideally, any future seasons will include Laura Mennell (as neighbor/love girlfriend Allison Montgomery), Will Sasso (as roommate/sobriety sponsor Ben Burns), and Anja Savcic (as Claire Wilkes).
Release Date
No answer can feasibly exist here until Netflix gives a fourth season the greenlight. However, you can bet that Farrelly would pull things together fast when it happens. Let’s put 2025 in our collective mind’s eye.
Trailer
Oh, c’mon. Until a trailer materializes, you’ll have to make do with the first three seasons of the show, or watch this clip where Loudermilk can’t let a clichéd analogy pass without comment. Good for him.
