MTV’s ‘Awkward’ season 3: Creator to depart; MTV already on the hunt for season 4

Is “Awkward” really starting to be the appropriate title for the show’s behind-the-scenes dealings? The brilliantly funny and criminally-underrated MTV series is now in danger of losing some of its edge, following the departure of the creator and showrunner Lauren Iungerich. According to Deadline, Lauren is leaving the series following the end of season 3 for both professional personal reasons, and will likely move on to other projects in the future.

In a statement, MTV’s programming president Suzanne Daniels did really all she could in wishing Iungerich well:

“Awkward is a wonderful series and we appreciate the creativity and devotion Lauren brought to this show … We wish her the best in her new ventures.”

But how will this show recover without the woman steering the ship? A great comparison here is what happened to “Community” after Dan Harmon left, since his vision was so closely tied to the actual premise of the show. While Harmon’s exit may have been much uglier, it is hard to imagine how this show could work moving into season 4 without Lauren. The ratings are strong enough to justify a renewal, and given how far we are now into Jenna Hamilton’s high school career, to stop now would just be rather sad.

So here’s to hoping MTV finds someone who understands the reason that this show works, from the humor to the heart to the sensationalized version of high school that it presents. Ashley Rickards is a great star, but there’s only so much that she can do without the words being elevated to a certain level.

Translation? MTV has their work cut out for them trying to figure out what they are going to do moving forward.

If you want to watch a trailer for the remaining “Awkward” season 3 episodes, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: MTV