For every exciting reveal surrounding a show on HBO, there’s a sad one, and this week’s downer news will hit fans of the low-key comedy series Togetherness hard. As confirmed by EW, the network has officially decided to cancel the show, with the season two finale (airing April 10) now serving double duty as its series finale.
The show was co-created by Steve Zissis, Jay Duplass, and Mark Duplass, and mostly centered around the squabbles and relationship drama of a dysfunctional friend group living under the same roof. According to HBO, the network plans to continue their “strong creative collaboration with the talented Jay and Mark Duplass” into the future.
So at least fans have some kind of a silver lining. Perhaps it could even get one of those series-ending TV movies, similar to what the network is working on for the gay-centric dramedy Looking. When that show ended, its TV movie announcement came right on the heels of the confirmation of its cancellation, so it’s hard to say whether HBO will be interested in revisiting the world of Togetherness in that form.
Mark Duplass posted a message on Twitter to the show’s fans, thanking them for their support of “a personal, niche show,” and saying that they “will be back soon.”
“To Our Incredible Togetherness Fans,
We got the news today that HBO has decided not to renew our show. And, while we are certainly feeling all the sadness that comes with this kind of news, our predominant reaction is one of overwhelming gratitude for all of you. Millions of you tuned in to watch a personal, niche show about sensitive people and the sensitive feelings they feel sensitively. In a time where you have so many great options on TV, we don’t take this lightly and will be forever grateful for your kind words and support. Know that we love all of you and that we will be back soon!”
Mark’s sentiment about the proliferation of “peak TV” and the abundance of options for fans to choose from on so many networks is an all-to-true sentiment for small-scale series such as this. In fact, that was the exact point we made in our review of the show’s second season, which was charming and deftly emotional, but never fully justified itself as important in the grand scheme of the TV landscape.
Nevertheless, it’s sad to see the show go, but at least the network has the reliably brilliant Silicon Valley and Veep going strong (and Girls, if you are into that sort of thing).
Let us know how you feel about the end of Togetherness in the comments below.