HBO Cancels Beloved Comedy

HBO will not move forward with a third season of Crystal Moselle's hit skateboarding series. The network on Tuesday officially canceled Betty after just two seasons, Variety reported. The news came a little more than a month after the series wrapped its second season in mid-July and as fans were hoping for a Season 3 renewal. A reason for the cancellation decision was not provided.

In a statement, HBO confirmed, "We will not be moving forward with a third season of Betty." HBO added that it is "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."

Based on Moselle's critically-acclaimed 2018 film Skate Kitchen, Betty followed a diverse all-girl group of skateboarders as they navigated the predominantly male-oriented world of skateboarding. Directed by Moselle, who also co-executive produces, Betty stars Dede Lovelace as Janay, Kabrina Adams as Honeybear, Nina Moran as Kirt, Ajani Russell as Indigo and Rachelle Vinberg as Camille. Caleb Eberhardt, Katerina Tannenbaum, Reza Nader, Alexander Cooper, CJ Ortiz, Brenn Lorenzo, Jules Lorenzo, Raekwon Haynes, Karim Callender Abdul, Noa Fisher, Kai Espion Monroe, Lil Dre, Andrew Darnell, Roblé Ali, Isabel Palma, Rad Pereir,a and Moises Acevedo appeared in recurring roles.

Betty initially premiered on HBO in May 2020 and received a Season 2 pickup in June of that year. Season 2, which will now serve as the final season, premiered on June 11, 2021 and ended on July 16. The series was met with rave reviews, with Betty currently having an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 98% fresh Tomatometer score from critics, who dubbed Betty "timely and urgent but simultaneously, per Moselle's style, dreamy and whimsical," according to Roxana Hadadi's Pajiba review, which added, "There's a hard edge to these young women and a defiance to how they operate, but that fierceness guards not fragility, but tenderness." The Hollywood Reporter's Robyn Bahr called the show "beautifully and unselfconsciously queer, resid[ing] somewhere on the spectrum between matriarchy and endless summer."

Amid the cancellation news, many fans of the series have reacted in shock, with one person tweeting, "I really liked [Betty]. I looked forward to every episode. I'm going to miss that cast so much!" All episodes of Betty are available on HBO.