Sometimes being labelled a “breakout hit” can’t save you in the end.
The supernatural comedy Deadbeat met its demise today as its host service Hulu decided it needed to make some more pre-summer cuts, Deadline reports. Though the origin of who made the decision to cancel the show is completely unknown, it seems as though absolutely everything happened behind closed doors. Hulu itself didn’t even break the news to the public itself, nor did a show-runner for Deadbeat. Even the four executive producers (one of whom doubled as show-runner) kept the news for themselves; in fact, maybe even leading actor Tyler Labine might have refrained from bursting Deadbeat fans’ bubbles until a later date if not for Twitter.
Thanks to Twitter user and Deadbeat follower @princessof612, or “shannon,” fans can scratch a potential Deadbeat season four date off their calendars. She asked Tyler Labine in a post, “when can we expect season 4 of #deadbeat? I’m really missing Pac.”
Labine responded publicly, breaking the news for the world, “Unfortunately it seems that #DeadbeatonHulu is going into its light. I’m super bummed and I will miss Pac dearly:(.”
As it turns out, perhaps not even some of the cast had been told of the sad news. Newly-added cast member Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, House) had not even been told.
Deadbeat leaves behind three seasons on Hulu, which–given its streaming service nature–will not remove all of those episodes from its server. In the show, Labine plays Kevin Pacalioglu (or “Pac”), a New York guy who seemed to be completely useless in the modern world until he discovered his true talent–helping Manhattan ghosts with their problems. Along with Kal Penn, Brendan T. Jackson (Percy Jackson), Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance), and Lucy DeVito (Sleepwalk with Me) were members of the cast.
When it first aired in 2014, some critics saw it as a “breakout,” surpassing many’s expectations for one of Hulu’s first original shows as it tried to compete with Netflix’s already growing lineup. Its most recent season only just dropped less than two months ago, but apparently that was enough for Hulu’s new panel of executives.
It seems that perhaps Deadbeat is a victim of an administration change–out with the old, lower-financed shows, in with the new. There’s always a possibility that the show could be picked up by someone else of course; it’s a fate that its former fellow Hulu program, The Mindy Project, received when Hulu saved it after being cancelled from Fox.