HBO Just Canceled This Comedy, Despite Its 100% Rotten Tomatoes Rating
HBO canceled the animated comedy after three seasons.
Close Enough was created by JG Quintel, the man behind the cult comedy Regular Show, who also topped the list of voice actors, which included Gabrielle Walsh, Jason Mantzoukas, Kimiko Glenn, Jessica DiCicco, James Adomian and Danielle Brooks.
Close Enough followed Josh and Emily – and their young daughter Candice – a couple in their late thirties, who live in a duplex in Los Angeles with their divorced friends, Alex and Bridgette. The show chronicled their lives as they faced daily challenges, with things often taking surreal, sci-fi-style turns.
Originally slated to air on TBS in 2017, after a series of delays, the show debuted on HBO Max in 2020. Three seasons of eight episodes each have aired, with the most recent season ending in early April 2022.
The show featured a number of high-profile guest stars during its run, including Jane Lynch, Henry Winkler, “Weird Al” Yankovic, David Hasselhoff and Noel Fielding.
In a statement given to Deadline, (opens in a new tab) A spokesperson for HBO Max said of the show’s scrapping, “After three great seasons, Close Enough is coming to an end. We are very proud of the series and grateful to creator JG Quintel and our partners at Cartoon Network Studios, who made this show an instant fan favorite on HBO Max.
Quintel himself confirmed the cancellation over the weekend, writing, “It’s true, Close Enough is ending after 3 seasons. I feel lucky to have worked on this project with so many talented people. Thank you to everyone who helped bring it to life, and to everyone who watched!”
That’s right, Close Enough is ending after 3 seasons. I feel lucky to have worked on this project with so many talented people. Thank you to everyone who helped bring it to life, and to everyone who watched it!July 15, 2022
The ending of Close Enough leaves HBO Max with just one adult animated comedy series still making new episodes. This is Tom, ten years old, that the leaders of the streaming giant have just renewed for a second season.
Analysis: Why did HBO pull the trigger?
Again, much like with the quirky comedy Joe Pera Talks With You, which had 100% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes for critics and audiences alike but was canceled anyway, Close Enough had a cult following.
The show’s first season got a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes among critics (opens in a new tab), while viewership scores hovered around the 80% mark for the first and second seasons. You can’t pin this on bad reviews. As with Pera, this sounds like another example of cost-cutting underway at HBO’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Much of the cost reduction was felt at HBO. The Time Traveler’s Wife and period drama Gentleman Jack were already canceled in July, along with Warner Bros. Discovery. went so far as to cancel Chad, the acclaimed coming-of-age comedy, just hours before it aired.
On top of that, HBO had already unplugged Demimonde, JJ Abrams’ first solo TV creation since his original hit Alias, which was considering a budget of over $200 million.
The CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav oversees an epic belt-tightening series and Close Enough is the latest show to fall victim to it. It won’t be the last.
It’s been a busy year for cancellations, so read everything Netflix has canceled here.
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