Renewals reneged
Television in the time of coronavirus
Renewals reneged: Netflix is tapping out of the fourth and final season of its hit dramedy “GLOW,” which tackles the world of women's wrestling (pun intended) through the eyes of struggling actress Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie, “Community”) after she auditions for a professional wrestling organization in 1980s Los Angeles. Also starring Betty Gilpin (“Isn't It Romantic,” 2019), Sydelle Noel (“Black Panther,” 2018) and English songstress Kate Nash (“Powder Room,” 2013), the program was slated to return to the screen this fall for one last season before bidding farewell to its viewers — as decided by Netflix in August of last year. Now, however, the streamer is reversing its original verdict, blaming the sudden change on complications arising from the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Upon announcing the decision to Deadline.com, the show's creators, Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, said they are upset by the impact the COVID-19 shutdowns have had on the series, but they believe that canceling the show is a necessary move.
“COVID has killed actual humans,” Flahive and Mensch said to Deadline. “It's a national tragedy and should be our focus. ... We were handed the creative freedom to make a complicated comedy about women and tell their stories. And wrestle. And now that's gone.”
“GLOW” had already begun filming its latest season when the regulations came into effect and, when taking into consideration the physical closeness between actors while filming scenes, the heavy breathing and necessity for long periods of physical contact throughout filming, the decision was made to pull the plug, a decision not so foreign to many other shows right now as well.
Another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic is Showtime's “On Becoming a God in Central Florida.” The show, starring Kirsten Dunst (“Melancholia,” 2011) as a seedy Floridian water park employee, Krystal Stubbs, trying to cheat her way up the ladder of a wealthy pyramid scheme, was just entering its second season when the pandemic hit. It wasn't long until the show met the same fate as “GLOW,” right down to the false renewal. And while “On Becoming a God” doesn't face the same tricky proximity challenges as “GLOW,” the series had a bit of a rocky start even prepandemic.
Taken on spontaneously by Showtime last June and severing its ties to YouTube Premium, “On Becoming a God” was first lined up for the AMC roster during Season 1 production stages. Since signing on with Showtime, however, everything appeared to be clear skies ahead — until the looming corona-cloud hit, that is. In a news statement following the decision to pull the series from the air, Showtime admitted that the pandemic has presented a myriad of insurmountable obstacles.
“The pandemic has continued to challenge schedules across the board,” Showtime said, “and although we have made every effort to reunite the cast and crew for a second season, that has become untenable. It is with great regret that we are acknowledging `On Becoming a God' will not return.”
The series, which also starred Théodore Pellerin (“Boy Erased,” 2018), Beth Ditto (“Nocturnal Animals,” 2016) and the iconic Ted Levine (“The Silence of the Lambs,” 1991), was Dunst's first television venture as executive producer.
A-listers on the small screen:
As a counterpoint to this year's many fall programming cancellations, the pandemic has also had an interesting impact on another area of television, as actors known primarily for film or more high-brow television series have started to expand their networks a bit more and venture outside of their regular areas. One of these actors is Louise herself, Susan Sarandon (“Thelma & Louise,” 1991). While it must be acknowledged that this is not Sarandon's first foray into the world of television, many are excited to see the Oscar winner return to her first major television role since “Ray Donovan.”
Sarandon will be appearing in the HBO Max young-adult series “Red Bird Lane,” the story of eight strangers who arrive at the same house under different circumstances and are forced to acknowledge that something sinister is afoot. Also starring in this new morality horror are Danny Huston (“The Constant Gardener,” 2005), Kiersey Clemons (“Dope,” 2015) and Ash Santos (“American Horror Story”) among others. Best news of all for many fans? This is a new series from “Bandersnatch” director David Slade.
Joining Sarandon in her most recent shift away from film is “Mad Men” leading man Jon Hamm. Best known for his outstanding portrayal of the dapper, mid-century advertising agent with the delightfully alliterative name of Don Draper, Hamm has recently been seen expanding his repertoire to include everything from Skip the Dishes commercials to, now, animated television.
Hamm is lending his voice to Greenpoint, North Carolina's well-meaning former-stoner Mayor Webb on the Fox animated series “Bless the Harts” alongside his former “Bridesmaids” (2011) co-stars Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph. Having made his first appearance on this year's Halloween episode (which aired on Oct. 18), Hamm will be returning periodically as a guest star to the show. Rest assured that this does not mean, however, that Hamm is stepping away from the bigger Hollywood projects. He will be starring in at least six new projects in the foreseeable future, including the highly anticipated 2021 film “Top Gun: Maverick.”