HBO abruptly CANCELS critically acclaimed show after three seasons

HBO has abruptly canceled critically acclaimed series Somebody Somewhere after three seasons.

The show -  starring Bridget Everett - will air its final season from October 27. 

Creators Hannah Boss and Paul Thureen, alongside Everett and executive producer Carolyn Strauss said in a statement: 'It has been the greatest dream to bring this world to life.... Kansas Prairie-sized love and thanks to Amy [Gravitt], the entire HBO family, and to the most talented and caring cast and crew. 

The heart of Somebody Somewhere is friendship, and we will always hold dear the friendships on the screen and those forged behind the camera.'

Gravitt, executive VP HBO Programming and head of HBO and Max comedy series said: 'We are incredibly proud to have collaborated with Bridget, Hannah and Paul on this remarkable exploration of the beauty of everyday life. 

'Though it’s hard to say goodbye to these characters we hold dear, we’re grateful for this journey and the legacy Somebody Somewhere leaves behind.'   

The show follows Everett's Sam who moves back to her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas to care for her dying sister Holly and finds herself stuck.

She gets unstuck when her love of singing connects her to a queer community of performers who meet in a church for a weekly burlesque-type show featuring song, dance and passages read from one member's sister's stolen diary that they call 'choir practice.' 

The show has won praise from critics and picked up the Peabody Entertainment Award in 2024. 

In June Everett confirmed the third season on Instagram, writing:  'Ummm HOLY SH*T WE ARE SO EXCITED! can't believe it.'

The show also stars Jeff Hiller, Mary Catherine Garrison, Murray Hill, Jane Brody, Mercedes White, Kailey Albus, Meighan Gerachis, Tim Bagley, Jennifer Mudge and Barbara Robertson. 

The show is a semi-autobiographical take on Everett's life if she had remained in or returned to her native Kansas at some point. 

The show is about giving yourself some grace no matter how much of a mess you are at any given time.

Everett sat down with The Daily Beast recently to talk about season two and the genesis of her off-the-cuff Big Juicy C*nt song.

'I used to live with Mary Catherine Garrison, who plays [Sam's sister] Tricia. I remember one time we were sitting around - she would probably kill me for saying this to a reporter - but we were sitting in our living room with our friend Julie and Mary Catherine is like, "Everyone is always telling me that I have the tightest p*ssy."

'And Julie was like, "Me too!" Then they were like, "Bridget?" I was like, "Um, nobody's ever said that to me." So singing the Big and Juicy C*nt song with Mary Catherine in the car was another little Easter bunny,' that ties to a moment from her real life.

She also talked about why the show makes its fans so emotional saying: 'I don't know. I think there's a gentleness about it. It's a slower pace of a show. What appealed to us was doing something that had dialogue that didn't seem scripted. 

'So you feel like you're sitting in the room with somebody, watching them. In a way, I feel like that makes it easier for people to care for the characters. With the character of Sam, I feel like her pain is always just right underneath the fingernail,' she said.

'It’s right there, and you can kind of feel it, even in the good times. But she's healing and getting better. It’s nice to root for somebody who takes a chance on themselves,' she added. 

And fans don't have to fret that the show will change much. 

Everett executive produces the show. She told Rolling Stone in April that she planned to keep the show as real and raw as the first two seasons have been.

'If we get season three,' she said at the time, 'we're going to have a full-blown town hall about hot flashes and dry tw*ts.' 

The full two seasons of Somebody Somewhere are currently streaming on Max.