Netflix Cancels 'Astronomy Club' After One Season

After just one season on the streaming platform, Netflix has officially canceled Astronomy Club, [...]

By Allison Schonter

After just one season on the streaming platform, Netflix has officially canceled Astronomy Club, the sketch comedy series that first debuted in December of last year. The series' cancellation was confirmed Tuesday night by the official Astronomy Club Twitter account, which thanked "all the fans that watched" and expressed hope that "more black artists & comedians are given the platform to have voices in the future." At this time, it is unclear why the series was canceled.

The six-episode sketch series hailed from Kenya Barris' Khalabo Ink Society, and was created by the comedy troupe Astronomy Club, the Upright Citizens Brigade's first all-black team. The group – whose members include Shawtane Bowen, Jonathan Braylock, Ray Cordova, James III, Caroline Martin, Jerah Milligan, Monique Moses, and Keisha Zollar – first formed in 2014 and built a following through live performance in New York, taking their sketches to Netflix last year. The series featured a variety of sketches that explored topics ranging from pop culture and social issues to the black experience.

Prior to Wednesday night's announcement that the series would not be returning, fans had taken to social media to express their desire for a second season. Using the "Astronomy Club" hashtag, many begged Netflix to "please renew" the series. One news editor for The AV Club even wrote a plea for a renewal, writing that "the cast flexed a mastery of satire with eclectic humor that was all at once cultural, observational, relevant, and entirely odd" and they were "more than ready for a second season." Unsurprisingly, fans were upset to learn that their hopes had been dashed.

Given that Netflix rarely releases viewership data, it is unclear how large of an audience Astronomy Club garnered. Regardless, the series enjoyed critical praise, earning a 100 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 84 percent approval rating from viewers.

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