Betty Canceled At HBO After Two Seasons
The ride, unfortunately, is coming to an abrupt end. Despite two well-received seasons, HBO has announced the official cancelation of "Betty." The skateboarding series first came into being as a spin-off of sorts to the 2018 film "Skate Kitchen," featuring many of the same characters from the movie and played by several of the same actors. This obviously comes as a major disappointment to fans of the show, especially considering that "Betty" represented one of the more diverse, female-led series on air to this point.
The End of "Betty"
Telling the story of a group of diverse young women in New York City "navigating their lives through the predominantly male oriented world of skateboarding," "Betty" first premiered on May 1, 2020 and received very positive reviews that praised the first season for being "Earnest, audacious, and effortlessly cool," capturing "the spirit of skating and friendship with style." That came just two years after the indie drama "Skate Kitchen" first arrived on the scene and charmed its way to critical acclaim, co-written and directed by Crystal Moselle. Moselle also served as writer and executive producer throughout "Betty," bringing along actors Dede Lovelace, Kabrina Adams, Nina Moran, Ajani Russell, Rachelle Vinberg, Alexander Cooper, and C.J. Ortiz to reprise their roles. HBO's statement on the cancelation (via The Hollywood Reporter) is as follows:
"We will not be moving forward with a third season of 'Betty.' We are very grateful for the collaboration with Crystal and our incredible cast — their fearless exploration of the world of New York City's skate culture will remain a beautiful emblem of friendship and community."
Needless to say, flagging viewership numbers are the likeliest culprit for this development. The series had been renewed for its second season in June 2020 and recently aired its finale on June 11, 2021. All 12 episodes of "Betty" have been available to stream on HBO Max, but the predominant response to this news online has been from many who claimed that they never even heard of the series until now.
This is the latest HBO show to come to an end despite bringing more diversity to the network's lineup. Most recently and most notably, HBO surprisingly opted not to renew the buzzy "Lovecraft Country" despite the powerhouse of talent behind it. "Insecure," the Emmy-winning series from Issa Rae, also won't be returning after the next season wraps up in 2021, but thankfully that appears to be the natural endpoint for the show rather than a premature cancelation.