Netflix Renews Hit Comedy Show for Season 3

Netflix is looking to serve up even more laughs. The streaming giant has officially renewed its hit comedy special The Standups for Season 3, Deadline confirmed Wednesday. Similar to the first two outings of the series, Season 3 will consist of six half-hour sets from six comic breakouts, which are set to premiere later this year.

While the first two seasons were filmed live in Los Angeles, The Standups’ third outing is slated to tape live in New York City at The Edison Ballroom on W. 47th Street. The streamer is said to be looking for people to attend the screenings in August, with those audience members getting to enjoy feature the talents of comedians Brian Simpson, Dusty Slay, Janelle James, Mark Normand, Melissa Villaseñor, and Naomi Ekperigin. Reacting to the renewal news, Slay teased that it is “time to renew you Netflix subscription!” Ekperigi, meanwhile, said, “Can you believe?!”

The Standups initially premiered on the streamer back in July 2017. Season 1 of the comedy special showcased the comedic talents of Nate Bargatze, Deon Cole, Fortune Feimster, Nikki Glaser, Dan Soder, and Beth Stelling. Season 2 brought Rachel Feinstein, Kyle Kinane, Joe List, Brent Morin, Aparna Nancherla, and Gina Yashere to the stage. Although Netflix hasn’t released any viewing data for the series, The Standups currently has a 100% fresh tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The renewal comes as Netflix seemingly struggles to find success in the world of comedy. Although it appears to have struck gold with The Standups, Netflix last week announced the cancellation of four comedy series and sitcoms – The Crew and Coutnry Comfort, which will end with one season, as well as Mr. Iglesias and Bonding, which are ending with two seasons. The move came a few days after the streamer canceled Jamie Foxx’s Dad Stop Embarrassing Me. Netflix did not provide an explanation for the cancellations, though it is believed poor performances were the final straw. It is possible that Netflix’s development model factors into these cancellations, as the streamer, skips traditional pilots. The pilot process typically allows network executives to see if a comedy has at least the germ of a good idea before going ahead and ordering an entire season.

It’s not all bad news, though. The streamer’s hit series Queer Eye is set to return with a new episode on July 7. The streamer has not yet announced a premiere date for The Standups Season 3.