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The instant Lady Dynamite debuted, it almost seemed like the countdown was on until cancelation. Shows as brilliantly off-center, subversive and challenging as the Maria Bamford comedy are always in perpetual danger of getting axed and on Saturday Netflix elected to part ways with the critically lauded series.
The Hollywood Reporter reports the streaming giant isn’t going ahead with a third season of Bamford’s series. Netflix has been moving in a direction of trimming down their current roster of original programs with a number of casualties (Marco Polo, Bloodline, The Get Down, Love, Gypsy). Female-fronted comedies have arguably seen the most aggressive cuts from the gameplan. In addition to Lady Dynamite‘s recent axing, Girlboss and Haters Back Off have also been snuffed out in the past six months. All three of those shows are very different, but there’s something semi-glaring about this trend whether it’s intentional or not.
Created by Arrested Development mastermind Mitch Hurwitz and South Park writer/producer Pam Brady, Lady Dynamite is loosely based on the life of its star Maria Bamford. It’s hard to think of a future scripted series serving up this brand of unfiltered Bammer goodness, but it’s also impossible to imagine Bamford’s talents will go to waste after this Netflix goodbye.
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Was the “female-fronted” aspect of the headline really required? Do you have “male-fronted” when talking about other shows that have been cancelled?
You must be new around here
Lol im a DEM and the near constant left and femenist catering here is disgustingly put off
While I enjoyed it, it’s pretty understandable why it didn’t catch on with the masses. It was kinda hard to follow at times and the humor could be seen as hit or miss. She even spends a good amount of time talking about how most people don’t get her comedy.
Girlboss was awful and I don’t even know what Haters Back Off is.
Girlboss was always weak-sauce.
I thought Love was just ending because the story is pretty much done.
CREAM get the money Dan, Clicks Rule Everything Around Me. Well played.
How dare they cancel obnoxious shows with women, but keep the good ones!
How doesn’t one apply for the job of “trending writer”
It’s a shame. Brilliant, absurdist comedy.
While I enjoyed Lady Dynamite, it was too weird to live. Rather ironically given its Netflix revival, it’s reminiscent of Arrested Development that way. The thing is, Lady Dynamite is a show that probably wouldn’t _exist_ without Netflix. Haters Back Off, on the other hand, flat shouldn’t have existed, and if anyone’s arguing that was cancelled because Colleen Ballinger is female I suspect they haven’t actually watched that show. Miranda Sings works in small doses on YouTube. Not…This. Just no.
having to use “brilliantly off-center, subversive and challenging ” as way to positively describe a show, you know you lost, but won’t admit it. It wasn’t that good. Much like everyone else is saying. “Haters” was based off youtube comedy and in a half hour format, that’s torture. “Girlboss” was also terrible. “Starring women” would be the most positive thing about these shows, and frankly, if we’re talking real equality here, isn’t enough to keep for Netflix or any other network, to spend money to keep it around.
Netflix’s secret agenda of cancelling female led shows
AV Club has more detailed report on the situation:
“Neither Netflix, nor Bamford, have discussed why the show is ending. In an interview we did with her last year, though, Bamford discussed the ways filming weighed on her physical and mental health, and expressed the idea that she’d need “children’s hours”—i.e., a mere 10-hour work day—to responsibly keep a third season going”
Well well well…
I wonder if, like, Netflix has tools or a giant steam powered machine or, like, a wizard person that calculates how many times a show is streamed or watched vs. the cost to produce. Probably not. They probably just cancel randomly, or as you posit…..because they are anti-women
Conversely, all the male-fronted shows that get cancelled… no one cares about.
I was not a fan. Never heard of Girlboss but Haters Back Off was honestly one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen. Good riddance.
Haters.. and Girlboss are straight up bad, but Lady Dynamite was excellent (though admittedly not something I would recommend to everyone).
Bamford came out and said this had a lot to do with her own mental health and that netflix had been incredibly supportive. Doesn’t feel like this should be mentioned with haters back off & girlboss. Sad to see this show go, incredibly creative. Seems like this is the right decision for Bamfords health which is most important.
This is getting really pathetic.
At least we can count on more seasons of Flaked…yayyyy…?
and yet, we can expect more of The Ranch.
even when they make good choices and air content like Lady Dynamite, it’s offset with garbage. it’s like America…pretty much half full of dipshits. why do you think they made the Sandler deal? that turd buffet keeps serving up the most viewed and worst reviewed content.
Jenji Kohan’s shows are still going strong…Orange is the New Black has been Netflix’s breakout hit since the beginning (though honestly I hope they wrap it up in a season or two) and GLOW was obviously a huge hit as well. We also have more Jessica Jones and Kimmy Schmidt coming down the line…and isn’t the final season of House of Cards going to just be about Robin Wright’s character? All that’s going on is they’re renewing shows that are popular and canceling shows that aren’t finding their audience.
It’s weird. It’s almost like companies don’t want to keep funding products that aren’t being consumed. The show’s gender tendencies shouldn’t affect that.