Netflix cancels Tuca & Bertie after one season. Created by Lisa Hanawalt, the adult animated sitcom stars comedians Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong in voice roles. Tuca & Bertie season 1 premiered last May, and currently holds a 100 percent Tomatometer score at Rotten Tomatoes.
In Tuca & Bertie, Haddish and Wong play bird women trying to balance their personal and professional lives. As the toucan Tuca, Haddish is sassy and upfront, whereas Wong’s songbird Roberta "Bertie" Songthrush is more reserved. The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun co-stars as Bertie’s architect boyfriend Speckle, while popular performers such as Awkwafina, Richard E. Grant, and Tessa Thompson guest-star in Tuca & Bertie season 1. With its colorful visuals, edgy comedy, and surrealistic storylines, the Netflix comedy seemed destined for a second season. Last May, we predicted that Netflix would make an official decision before summer’s end.
Per TVLine, Netflix has cancelled Tuca & Bertie. In an official statement, the streaming service acknowledged that showrunner Hanawalt “created a relatable yet whimsical world,” and expressed their appreciation for the cast and crew. Netflix then stated that they wouldn’t be moving forward with Tuca & Bertie season 2, concluding with “we’re proud to feature this story on Netflix for years to come.” On Twitter, the news shocked Tuca & Bertie fans, along with the aforementioned Hanawalt. After simply posting “Netflix is not ordering a second season of Tuca & Bertie,” she followed up with a series of tweets, stating that “Tuca & Bertie is everything I wanted it to be: beautiful, funny, fresh, loving, horny, weird, experimental, comforting, and deep.” Hanawalt also wrote about the “flawless” cast, crew, and writing team, and reminds her followers that Tuca & Bertie has “repeatedly” been called one of the best new shows of 2019. The Tuca & Bertie creator also addressed her out-of-the-box approach by noting “None of this makes a difference to an algorithm, but it’s important to me and the way I want to continue making art in this world.” Check out Hanawalt’s full Twitter thread below.
Prior to Tuca & Bertie, Hanawalt worked as a production designer and producer for the acclaimed Netflix series BoJack Horseman. Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the adult animated sitcom similarly includes surrealistic humor, but has significantly darker subject matter than Tuca & Bertie. Last October, Netflix ordered BoJack Horseman season 6. The streaming service has also renewed other animated series such as F Is for Family, Big Mouth, Disenchantment, Paradise PD, and Love, Death & Robots.
For comedy fans, Netflix’s cancellation of Tuca & Bertie is undoubtedly a big surprise. Haddish’s popularity has significantly grown in recent years, and the same applies to Wong, who has starred in two Netflix stand-up comedy specials, Ali Wong: Baby Cobra and Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife. In addition, she recently starred in the Netflix romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe. Earlier in her career, Wong wrote for the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. Despite all the critical acclaim for Tuca & Bertie season 1, though, it appears that Netflix didn’t get the numbers they were hoping for.
Source: TVLine