It’s a sad day for all The Sex Lives Of College Girls fans, because Max has cancelled the show after three glorious seasons.
The writing was on the wall once pop star Reneé Rapp exited season three at the start, but fans were hoping the introduction of Gracie Lawrence would breathe new life into the comedy.
Co-showrunner Justin Noble posted about the cancellation on Instagram, and revealed that he’s looking for a new network to pick up season four.
“As creatives, we’re sort of taught to never compliment our own projects. Or even to downplay it when other people do. But here’s the thing: I think The Sex Lives Of College Girls is a pretty damn good TV show,” he said.
“Unfortunately, Max has decided not to order a fourth season. We are currently in discussions with some new potential homes for the show, and it’s nice that there is so much interest — but regardless of what happens, I’m proud of this show and the work that so many incredibly talented people put into it.”
He went on to reveal that the show was the “most watched or second most-watched” scripted show for approximately 70 days straight on Max, so he was not expecting his show to be cancelled.
“I can’t help but mention that it feels like there are fewer and fewer comedy series every month — and we are living in an era where we need that comedy badly, so I really hope that turns around — but I will always be proud of this show for being the thing that we weren’t seeing enough of: a hard comedy ensemble where ladies get the jokes,” he added.
“And most of all, thank you to the fans. We really did do it all for you.”
The Sex Lives Of College Girls co-showrunner had plans for Season 4
Fans were worried about season three after the finale wrapped up the stories nicely and didn’t finish on a cliffhanger. At the time, Noble dismissed any rumours that season three was meant to be the last.
“No one told us to, like, wrap up the show or anything like that,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I think just me as a creator, I’m losing interest in cliffhangers. I think it’s longer than ever between seasons for logistical reasons within the industry, and frankly, I don’t think audiences like cliffhangers the way that they used to… you have to bring back to the show and comfort that you want. That’s why you return to it.”
While there wasn’t a cliffhanger, Noble insisted that there were still storylines that went unresolved which needed to be addressed in season four.
“I’m hoping the show goes on,” he said at the time. “It’s always at the top of the Max [top 10 series] list, which is nice to see.”
Max usually avoids releasing any viewership numbers, but not only did Noble confirm it’s up there in viewership, the first two seasons were also loved by critics. Season one has 97 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes (a critic aggregator), while season two has 93 per cent. Sadly, season three slipped down to a woeful 29 per cent approval rating, which may have contributed to the cancellation.
I have my fingers and toes crossed that Noble and Mindy Kaling’s show will find a new home, and that we’ll be blessed with more The Sex Lives Of College Girls very soon.
Lead image: Max
