‘Betty’ Has Been Canceled By HBO After Two Seasons

HBO is jumping off Betty. Yes, that’s a skateboarding pun—which you’d know if you’d been watching Betty. As Variety reports, HBO issued a statement on Thursday announcing that they are cancelling the Crystal Moselle-created series, which is based on her 2018 film Skate Kitchen, after just two seasons.

“We will not be moving forward with a third season of Betty,” the network wrote in a statement. “We are 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.”

The LGBT-themed comedy series (which our Brian Grubb once dubbed “the coolest show on television”) about a group of young women navigating the male-dominated world of New York City’s skateboarding culture, received nearly unanimous praise from critics when it first debuted in May 2020. Though at its height it was only being watched by about 200,000 people, the critical consensus was strong enough that HBO had the good sense to greenlight it for a second season, which currently holds a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes (while season 1 is holding steady at 97 percent).

While the series has been praised for its fresh approach and cinema verité-like style—especially as it entered its second season and tackled such urgent topics as the COVID pandemic and Black Lives Matter—not even near-universal praise could save the series. Meaning that its second season finale—which The Hollywood Reporter wryly notes was “unfortunately titled ‘The Let Down’”—will now serve as its series finale.