Another Fan-Favorite Streaming Series Was Just Canceled
South Side, an HBO Max comedy about life in Chicago, was saved from Comedy Central but no one is saving it now following an unceremonious cancellation.
HBO Max is starting to compete with Netflix regarding the cancellation of beloved shows. For months, HBO has been announcing the cancellations of series such as Doom Patrol and Avenue 5, leaving fans reconsidering their subscriptions. Now, Hollywood Reporter states that the comedy series South Side has also gotten the axe.
The Chicago-based series stars Kareme Young and Sultan Salahuddin as a pair of recent community college graduates trying to become successful venture capitalists by coming up with new (often illegal) ideas about how to make money. South Side was both hilarious and filled to the brim with social commentary. It wowed critics and audiences alike, with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 91% audience score.
The series is the brainchild of Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle, who worked together on the TV series Sherman’s Showcase, The Last O.G., and Maya & Marty. The series has won NAACP Image Awards and Black Reel Awards for Television in both 2022 and 2023.
News of the series’ cancellation comes two months after HBO released the last episode of Season 3. Season 3 is the second South Side season hosted by HBO Max after the series left Comedy Central following its 2019 premiere season.
HBO didn’t explain why they canceled South Side, beyond stating that they will “not be moving forward” with Season 4. The rest of the statement announcing the series’ cancellation had nothing but positive things to say about it, calling it a “wholly unique” comedy that mixed cutting social comedy with absurd humor.
It’s hard to tell whether South Side was a popular series for HBO Max since the platform does not release its streaming numbers. However, Parrot Analytics states that demand for South Side is in the top 8.6% of all U.S. shows even two months after the season ended. That sounds good, but the much-derided Velma is in the top 2.7% of all shows — possibly because viewers hate-watched the series due to all the negative publicity it’s been getting.
Regardless of the reason for its popularity, Velma got renewed, and South Side didn’t. This means that HBO views Velma as ranking up there with other renewed series, such as Hacks and The Last of Us while South Side joins the likes of Gossip Girl and Pennyworth in the dustbin.
However, South Side has left a platform before, which didn’t stop the series from brushing itself off and finding another home. Director Diallo Riddle has stated that they’re shopping the series around in hopes of making new episodes.
Riddle has described South Side as “The show that never lost one fan. If that’s true, many TV channels and streaming services would benefit from its presence. However, in the age of cutthroat streaming content creation, a dedicated fanbase isn’t always enough for services to justify picking a series up. Sadly, it’s entirely possible that we’ve seen the last of the much-beloved series.
