South Side Season 4 Won't Happen As HBO Max Cancels The Series
After three seasons of being one of the best shows on TV, HBO Max has canceled "South Side." The comedy series centered on community college graduates Simon (Sultan Salahuddin) and Kareme (Kareme Young), two best friends with big dreams of becoming venture capitalists who are stuck working at a rent-to-own shop in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago until they can break into the biz. The cancelation is just the latest in a slew of cancellations from HBO Max, and incredibly frustrating considering the show was originally airing on Comedy Central before HBO Max came knocking. Fans anticipated a longer life for "South Side" with the backing of a giant like Warner Bros. Discovery, but alas, the show seems to be another casualty in the quest for David Zaslav to cut costs.
"While HBO Max will not be moving forward with a fourth season of 'South Side,' we are so proud of the rich world Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, and Sultan Salahuddin created," an HBO Max spokesperson said to Variety. "For three seasons, this beloved series balanced cutting, hyperlocal social commentary about life on the South Side of Chicago with silly, sometimes zany humor," the statement continued. "The result was a wholly unique, ambitious, and fearless comedy that could speak to everyone living the American dream."
Yeah, "South Side" absolutely ruled so of course, HBO Max kicked it to the curb. Heaven forbid we are allowed to enjoy nice things. Then again, I guess they deserve points for even acknowledging the show's cancelation considering the usual course of action is to quietly remove the projects and hope no one notices.
Rent-to-own on a new network
The show's co-creator Diallo Riddle took to Twitter to express his sadness, calling "South Side" a show that "never lost one fan." He's right. The folks who started watching "South Side" when it was on Comedy Central stuck with it through it all, and the show only gained audience numbers as it went on. Riddle also noted the importance of "South Side" to the city of Chicago and announced that they would be shopping the series around in the hopes of doing more episodes.
The show that never lost one fan. SOUTH SIDE means so much to us and the city of Chicago and to me personally. We're shopping it around and with luck we will do more episodes, but until then, I want to thank the amazing cast, crew and fans of @southsidechi #SouthSide pic.twitter.com/YBvR9Q29RQ
— Diallo Riddle (@diallo) February 22, 2023
That bit about Chicago is especially important. Of course, John Hughes films and Hulu's "The Bear" have helped solidify Chicago as a cinematic cultural touchstone, but "South Side" told stories from a part of the city that is often left out of the spotlight or portrayed as "dangerous" or "deserving of pity." In reality, "South Side" is a vibrant, hilarious, and unapologetically honest series with characters you'll love after five seconds of screen time.
If there's any justice in this world, "South Side" will get picked up by another network. The first three seasons of the show are currently available to stream on HBO Max, as long as they don't quietly scrap that too.