Showtime Cancels 3 Shows in One Week
Showtime had a blood bath last week, canceling three shows in a short span. The Jeff Daniels crime drama American Rust was the first one to get the ax, followed by the comedies Black Monday and Work in Progress. American Rust lasted just one season, while Work in Progress was canceled after two. Black Monday, which featured Don Cheadle, was canceled after three seasons.
American Rust was an adaptation of the Philipp Meyer novel and starred Daniels as a Pennsylvania police chief whose town is rocked by a murder that involves the son of the woman he loves, played by Maura Tierney. "We can confirm that American Rust will not be moving forward with a second season," Showtime said in a statement to Variety on Jan. 25. "We would like to thank our partners at Boat Rocker, our talented showrunner Dan Futterman and the rest of the wonderful writers, and our amazing cast led by Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney."
The series also starred Bill Camp, David Alvarez, Alex Neustaedter, Julia Mayorga, Mark Pellegrino, and Rob Yang. Dan Futterman wrote the script and served as showrunner and executive producer. Daniels was also an executive producer on the show. Unlike HBO's Mare of Easttown, American Rust was met with mostly negative reviews, so its cancellation isn't a surprise.
Two days after American Rust was canceled, Showtime also ended the comedies Work in Progress and Black Monday. Work in Progress was created by Abby McEnany and Tim Mason and starred McEnany, Julia Sweeney, and Theo Germaine. The show was completely produced in Chicago, with Lilly Wachowski as one of the executive producers. Wachowski told fans on Twitter last week she was notified around Thanksgiving that the show wouldn't get a third season.
"We are incredibly proud of the two seasons of Work in Progress and were thrilled to spotlight the enormous talents of Abby McEnany, Lilly Wachowski, and the entire cast and creative team," Showtime told Variety. "We look forward to having our subscribers continue to discover this special series on Showtime's streaming platforms for years to come."
Black Monday lasted three seasons. The series starred Cheadle, Andrew Rannells, Regina Hall, Paul Scheer, and Casey Wilson as traders during Wall Street's darkest and most self-indulgent days in the late 1980s. It was created by Jordan Cahan and David Caspe and included Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as executive producers. The show earned critical praise, and Cheadle scored Emmy nominations in 2019 and 2020.
"We can confirm that Black Monday will not be moving forward with a fourth season," Showtime said. "Don Cheadle, Regina Hall, Andrew Rannells, Paul Scheer, and Casey Wilson led a fantastic cast, and we are grateful to Jordan Cahan, David Caspe, and all who worked on the show for three hilarious seasons."
American Rust, Work in Progress, and Black Monday are all available to stream on the Showtime app. Although these shows didn't make it, Showtime did recently score a big hit with Yellowjackets. That show was renewed for a second season in December.