Jim Carrey's 'Kidding' Canceled After Two Seasons At Showtime
The latest TV cancelation is no joke, despite the show's title. Showtime has canceled Dave Holstein's dark comedy Kidding after two seasons at the network, four months after the Jim Carrey-starring series ended its eight-episode second season.
Showtime has decided not to renew Kidding for a third season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The network has canceled the comedy-drama series four months after the second season of the series created by Dave Holstein wrapped its eight-episode season back in March.
The network said in a statement:
After two seasons, Kidding has concluded its run on Showtime. We are very proud to have aired this imaginative, critically acclaimed and rewarding series, and we would like to thank Jim Carrey, Dave Holstein, Michael Aguilar, Michel Gondry and the entire cast and crew for their brilliant and tireless work.
Created and executive produced by Holstein, Kidding stars Carrey as "Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, an icon of children's television. But when Jeff's family begins to implode, he finds no fairy tale or fable or puppet will guide him through the crisis." The dark comedy marked Carrey's exciting return to television after a nearly three-decade absence, and reunited the star with his Oscar-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind writer-director Michel Gondry, who helmed the series. The series also reunited Carrey with Holstein, who wrote on the equally short-lived comedy-drama Showtime series I'm Dying Up Here, which Carrey executive produced. Kidding was produced in-house at Showtime.
The pairing of Carrey and Gondry, however, was the real draw, especially after the director drew out one of Carrey's best performances of his career. In an interview with /Film during the show's season 1 run, Gondry spoke about their partnership, saying, "Over the years he probably has been complimented on his performance which was deserved. So when we started Kidding, we were really on the same wavelength. It was very easy to work together because he has no ego."
Kidding wrapped up in March with 54,000 same day viewers, a downturn from the average 243,000 viewers the series would enjoy in its first season back in 2018. The bleak comedy-drama received mostly positive reviews for both seasons but not much in the way of buzz. However, the second season finale still left the door open for a potential third season, despite wrapping up its central storyline.
Holstein executive produced the series with Carrey, Gondry, Jason Bateman, and others. The series also starred Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Catherine Keener (Get Out), Judy Greer (Married), Cole Allen and Juliet Morris. Guest stars include Justin Kirk (Weeds), Ginger Gonzaga (I'm Dying Up Here) and Tara Lipinski.