HBO cancels A Black Lady Sketch Show
Robin Thede's hilarious sketch series won't be back for a fifth season at HBO
Aux News A Black Lady Sketch Show
HBO won’t be moving forward with a fifth season of Robin Thede’s Emmy-winning comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show, Variety reports. The show will instead conclude with its already-finished fourth season, which wrapped up back in May, ending a four-year run at the network.
Created by Thede, the series starred, at various points during its run, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis, Quinta Brunson, and Skye Townsend, with featured roles by Laci Mosley, DaMya Gurley, Tamara Jade, and Angel Laketa Moore—plus Thede herself, who played a wide variety of weird, wonderful, and sometimes completely deranged characters across the series’ run.
As we remain endlessly fascinated by which TV shows get the “nice” version of cancellation when they’re shuffled off this mortal coil, we’ll note that HBO gave A Black Lady Sketch Show a courtesy farewell as it went, issuing a statement calling Thede a “visionary comedic talent” and stating that “For four exceptional seasons of A Black Lady Sketch Show we’ve been thrilled to partner with her on this groundbreaking, hilarious series.” Thede also issued a statement of her own, telling Variety,
Thank you to all the immensely talented cast members, guest stars, writers, directors, editors and crew members who have made A Black Lady Sketch Show an Emmy-winning success. I especially want to recognize the Black women and other women of color who excelled in every department at ABLSS. I am also eternally grateful for the support of Issa Rae and Jax Media, Amy Gravitt, Casey Bloys and the entire team at HBO, Max and Warner Bros. Discovery.
A Black Lady Sketch Show was nominated for 13 Emmys across its run, winning three for editing and directing. The series garnered serious praise (including from us) for its strides forward for representation—and, it hopefully goes without saying, for being relentlessly hilarious while doing so.
30 Comments
This is disappointing.
I’ve watched and supported it from the start – but there’s no denying that the last two seasons were ass.
I wasn’t very happy with the third season. Haven’t seen the last so I’ll reserve judgment. All I can say is that SNL has run for 43 years and I haven’t seen anything funny on it in the last 15.
People always putting down SNL. Do you hate watch it or are just going by a 15 year old memory? Who else is doing a LIVE sketch and variety show? It been running for 48 years, going on 49. I find something funny on it all the time, thought Pedro Pascal and Quinta Brunson were standouts as well as Megan Thee Stallion and Brendon Gleeson this year, but there were a lot of other surprisingly good guest stars plus old favorites. No matter, free world, watch something else.
I have checked in over the years. I think “hate” is a strong word. I just don’t find that it’s presentation (and representations) justify its continued position, considering that networks and viewer are so very fussy and particular about Very Good content. It’s almost like the show has been permanently “Grandfathered” because it had great beginnings and a few intemittent good seasons. It has reached the level of being “precious.” It survives on a reputation it is no longer earning. In some ways it strikes me as a running joke on our country. “See, we’re awful but awful things thrive here so here we still are.”
I think of all the talent it has brought us over decades, reaching across film and TV and live acts, etc., while showcasing musical offerings, influencing elections, allowing to see the comic side of some of the biggest entertainers and unknown new finds around the world. Every season from the first has had good episodes, and not-so-good, brilliant and lesser sketches—it is live TV, you takes your chances. Hate how people hang onto nostalgia rather than embrace something new.. Every cast has had a star or three burst forth. I mentioned two stand-outs this year, found out today both have earned Emmy noms for their efforts—the rep is there and holding with repeated earnings. It may not be your thing but but is certainly not awful. Why bother checking in if you are that uninterested, watch something else or read a book?!
Since I don’t watch it regularly, I’d forgotten about musical guests, etc. I guess I just feel that there are so many other platforms for content like this, it doesn’t have any appeal for me anymore. And I don’t think the skits are funny. I actually prefer the pre-recorded ones. And it may look like I’m being nostalgic, but aren’t you kind of being nostalgic too?
My attitude isn’t going to get the show taken off the air, but I can still feel a certain way about it.
You forgot about musical guests? That is a genuine lack of attention to detail. There is nothing else to fill this unique blend of a live sketch show and hasn’t been for years. No nostalgia, I don’t go on and on about how it was so much better “back then” and how the older casts are better than any current ones, and how all the old episodes were 100% good sketches because it is not true. Every season from the very first has highs/lows, with great and good talent to be found in every cast since. I genuinely laughed at a lot of sketches this year, and though the pre-recorded stuff is fun to watch I honestly love the live aspect, the highwire act, which no other show is doing and none have outlasted this format over a half century. I think about how much it still matters in terms of ongoing production of talent giving us some of our best and brightest in the industry. How many comedians, writers and actors, Conan, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell—I could go on for paragraphs. The ripple effect as so many go on to do wonderful things. Bill Hader says he would never have gotten to do Barry without SNL, and he is not the only example, there are others. I enjoy the current cast and have my faves just like every other cast, I know their names and love all the unique contributions; how do they manage to find all these wonderful performers?. Because it is not your humor doesn’t make it a bad show and to be honest if it goes away there is nothing else to fill the void left by a live sketch show with eclectic guests, a solid working comedy cast and lots of wonderful musical showcase. My two cents, sorry you don’t get why it is so special and unique.
You don’t have to insult me. I underwent an unbelievably horrible trauma five months ago and I can barely put two words together, not to mention recalling details about a show I seldom watch and don’t like. I stay on this site to keep some semblence of sanity and connection.You sound incredibly aggressive and, I might add, humorless. Also, an insufferable egotist. There, I’ve lowered myself to your level.
Wasn’t an insult at ALL—just a highly surprised observation, as you yourself said you watch the show, seemed odd as it is 25% of the content. As for whatever trauma you are referring to, in case you weren’t aware I am not a member of the Psychic Network. I didn’t know your circumstances and not interested in back/forth discussion with someone who has to throw out a personal detail which is not any part of the conversation. We were discussing a comedy sketch show, not something profound. I made a solid effort to debate and yet instead you overreacted to words and went way below my level in unnecessary insults, congratulations to you.
Yes, you opned with an insult. I was never interested in debate. I simply made an observation. You are argumentative and, quite frankly, offputting. Check your aggressive tendencies.If you are, in fact, a nurse, I would not want to end up in your care.
You were directly insulting, I was speculative. Aggressive about—A TV sketch show? Get help. Soon.
Not interested in any further discussion. I am, in fact, seeing an extremely good trauma therapist.
You might want to take your own advice.You seem to need to dominate. Have the last word if you like and satisfy yourself.
First season was excellent. I’m not caught up, but based on clips I saw it seemed like season 4 was an improvement over 2 and 3?
Affirmative action can only get you so far!
4 seasons is still pretty damn good for a sketch show
Hell it’s amazing for a streaming show these days.
(breaks down sobbing over Amazon only giving The Kids in the Hall one season)
Did you maybe want to provide a single shred of evidence that Amazon canceled the show?
Is that definite? Shit.
great show
But the tilapias are fine though, right?
Strange that you never hear of WB/Disco cancelling things like Ice Road Housewives’ Kitchen Renovation Disasters.
Come on, give that show a break. The season set on MILF Island is a stone-cold classic!
I dunno, the episode where they had Gordon Ramsay show up as a guest judge and murder two of the contestants felt a little forced.
Reality shows are way cheaper to produce than anything scripted. That’s why there are so many of them, and they run forever.
Also, this show aimed itself squarely at a minority audience, even in the title. If you’re aiming at an audience that comprises maybe 8% of America (Black women), that’s very likely to pull smaller numbers ratings-wise than anything aimed at 100% of Americans. Activists understand that representation matters, until their favorite show that didn’t represent, oh, 90% of the US gets canceled.
lolol fuck Zaslav didn’t think people figured out he hates black women when he killed Batgirl so my boi doubling down.
Grow the fuck up you fucking loser.
Affirmative action can only get you so far!
Affirmative action can only get you so far!