As The Hollywood Reporter puts it, the Roy Price-less Amazon Studios is “cleaning house” now that its extremely expensive The Lord of the Rings venture is taking hold. How? By announcing the sudden cancelation of comedian Tig Notaro’s critically-acclaimed series One Mississippi, along with fellow comedy shows I Love Dick and Jean-Claude Van Johnson. THR didn’t offer an explicit reason for Amazon’s sudden decision, but seeing as how the studio is currently being lead by interim head Albert Cheng while the search for Price’s replacement continues, the executive shuffle seems a likely culprit.
By that same token, viewership might also be to blame, but since Amazon and other streaming services like Netflix refuse to release their internal viewing numbers, it’s impossible to tell. Yet comedy clearly isn’t on the way out at the studio, as the fantastic The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel recently scored two Golden Globe awards. What’s more, the platform’s rebooted version of The Tick garnered a second season renewal. So what gives? I Love Dick and Jean-Claude Van Johnson were hit or miss for those who watched them, but One Mississippi — especially considering Notaro’s comments on Louis C.K. — was definitely a favorite.
Hence why so many critics and lay viewers took to Twitter to lament the show’s demise and Amazon’s decision to kill it.
A million reasons it was dumb to cancel One Mississippi. But this is among them: After a sexual harassment scandal at Amazon, why cancel a series that received major acclaim for exploring that topic with deftness and nuance? Also it’s the rare TV show created by a queer woman. 🌋
— Mo Ryan (@moryan) January 18, 2018
I will preemptively hand out 10 Emmys to the network that picks up One Mississippi. Do this. Now. It’s a smart move, in part because One Miss isn’t expensive. Plus it’s a fabulous show and critically adored. There’s no downside to picking up the show. None. #SaveOneMississippi
— Mo Ryan (@moryan) January 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/sepinwall/status/953806090998861824
Sorry to see One Mississippi not get a 3rd season esp. since it would have cost 12 cents to make. Not sure what the Amazon mandate is right now besides "We should have hits."
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) January 18, 2018
ONE MISSISSIPPI was one of my favorite shows & had so many more stories to tell. I was mixed on I LOVE DICK but it stuck in my head & I was excited to S2. I’m so mad.
— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) January 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/e_alexjung/status/953811499646152705
https://twitter.com/noahharpster/status/953822246795005953
https://twitter.com/emilygmonster/status/953810008839372801
Amazon made a horrible decision by canceling "One Mississippi".
If you never watched this show, you are missing out.
It's witty, touching, and tackles real issues.@TigNotaro deserves to have this picked up by someone else. pic.twitter.com/ZFSPBKobmT
— Ted Corcoran (RedTRaccoon) (@RedTRaccoon) January 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/Shakestweetz/status/953835098411077632
ONE MISSISSIPPI GOT CANCELLED AND I'M TAKING BACK EVERYTHING I SAID ABOUT TV FOR QUEER WOMEN BEING RELATIVELY OKAY RN https://t.co/04xN239JPv
— riese (@autowin) January 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/GriffLightning/status/953831038551117824
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)