Punky Brewster revival canceled at Peacock; no season 2 coming
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming service has opted to not order any more episodes of the Soleil Moon Frye comedy, which debuted its first season all at once earlier this year. This cancellation is one of the first major ones for a Peacock half-hour comedy, and it shows one of the struggles with reviving any show in this current era. While you’re often able to get a lot of attention straight out of the gate, sustaining it can prove difficult. You have to find a way to balance out nostalgia with bringing something totally new to the table, and this is not always a particularly easy thing to do.
In a statement confirming the show’s end, Lisa Katz, president, scripted, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, had the following to say:
“Punky Brewster was a beloved series that tackled meaningful storylines with so much heart … It was a bright light for so many viewers and we are forever grateful to Universal Studio Group, the producers, the cast and crew and especially to Soleil Moon Frye for reigniting the Punky Power within everyone.”
The THR story noted that Frye and the show’s executive producers were hoping to return for more episodes — alas, that just isn’t in the cards. We don’t get the sense that another season will be ordered elsewhere, mostly because Peacock was more incentivized than anyone to keep this show going. It’s hard to judge the specific reasons for the cancellation other than performance in general — don’t you think they would have ordered more if it was getting outstanding ratings? We tend to think so. (Streaming services, unlike network TV, are not beholden to releasing a lot of their viewership data — that can at times muddy the waters.)
What do you think about Punky Brewster being canceled at Peacock?
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