HBO has cancelled their Looking TV series after two low-rated seasons. While there won’t be a third season of the gay dramedy, the series will have a resolution.
Looking revolves around three gay friends (Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez, and Murray Bartlett) in San Francisco as they make their way in the world, looking for personal and professional fulfillment. Also starring are Lauren Weedman, Russell Tovey, and Raul Castillo.
The half-hour show debuted in January 2014 to just 338,000 viewers. It was a poor start but viewership grew as the weeks progressed, hitting a season high of 519,000 in week six. Despite the low ratings, HBO renewed Looking for a second season, keeping it as a companion to their low-rated Girls series.
The ratings have gotten even worse in season two. Just 150,000 viewers watched the February 15th installment. Season two averaged 240,000 viewers with a 0.1 rating in the 18-49 demo. The finale aired on Sunday.
Now, HBO has decided to cancel the show but plans to wrap up the series with a special. There’s no word on when it will be released as yet.
A statement from the cable channel says, “After two years of following Patrick and his tight-knit group of friends as they explored San Francisco in search of love and lasting relationships, HBO will present the final chapter of their journey as a special… We look forward to sharing this adventure with the shows loyal fans.”
What do you think? Did you like the Looking TV show? Do you think that it should have been cancelled or renewed for a third season? Will you be watching the special?
i will cancel hbo. looking is the only reason i ordered it. Hope it gets picked up by someone else and they do a better job advertising.
HBO…you such for cancelling Looking. A good show and it’s gone!
This is sad news. I love this show. Im really going to miss it. I wonder if Netflix would pick it up? Fingers crossed that at very least we get a wrap up.
Boo HBO. Bad decision. It isn’t always about the ratings is it?
If Girls is also low rated, then why is it being renewed, when Looking gets axed. I also never saw HBO promote this show the way they do Girls. Just sayin
I really enjoyed this show. I have watched every episode. It is one of the very few shows that I would could hardly wait to see. The story line and acting was great. I was and am very sad to see it canceled. There are so many other shows that are just Crap yet HBO keeps them going. HBO you are making a mistake.
I agree with you , I will miss it too , I just thought it got better each week , be good if HBO don’t want it that someone else took it over , will miss it so much.
I’m a straight female based in the U.K. I’ve loved watching this show as the characters and starry line are brilliant ! Gutted it’s been cancelled
Its sad to see that Looking is canceled and I don’t want them to actually have a special i want them to premiere a season three because looking Is something that everybody can relate to and without looking a lot people don’t know how to deal with who they are. However its a show that people that are LGBT or even straight can watch and actually enjoy. I dont think ill ever be watching HBO because they are more about money than the quality of their work. I thinl that they should give it another try so later down the… Read more »
However its a show that people that are LGBT or even straight can watch and actually enjoy.
Are you kidding me? Do you really think that many straight people would watch this? I would be surprised if more than a handful of straight men watch this show. It’s a show about gay men. Straight men have ZERO interest in this topic. Sometimes people really are out of touch with reality.
I am soooo gutted!! I watched this show every Monday and I loved every minute of it. It’s so realistic and the characters are so down to earth, I could relate to the struggle they’re going through even if I’m a straight female. And that’s something only a good TV show can do! I can’t wait for the special episode.. So its not really about being straight or gay, it’s about the story! Straight men struggle in finding love, struggle in making their dreams come true (opening a restau) straight artists struggle, straight men have commitment issues… etc so please… Read more »
This is why Netflix and Amazon are becoming more relevant than HBO, because they make quality shows and do not care about the ratings!! The show premiered against the Golden Globes, and other episodes aired against the Grammys and the Oscars!! I hope that the “special” is aired soon, because I am canceling my suscription to HBO once they air the final “special”.
I cancelled HBO today. I doubt they’ll ever produce a LOOKING “special,” and if they do, I can sign up for it again.
Typical – the almighty ratings take precedence over quality. HBO follows in the footsteps of the less enlightened channels – if it doesn’t hit a certain benchmark, cancel it even if it’s excellent.
I for one am distraught with this news, I have been depressed all evening. Such a wonderful, underrated show. Looking brightened up my days, weeks, months and year! The TV movie is something at least, but why the LGBT community didn’t support the show more I do not know.. #Looking4ever
Is so typical. It is such a typical phenomenon Is it any wonder that the HBO series “Looking” will not get a chance at season three. HBO has done a very poor job of advertising this rather significant series. Then they wonder why there was such poor viewership for the series. HBO needs get off its dead ass and start making series like Looking a normative part of their weekly offering. The CW offers so much more than HBO does these days; is it any wonder that a series like Looking failed to grab the interest of viewers. I have… Read more »
This cancellation saddens me. The show was much improved in the second season and it should have been renewed. The plotlines were thickening and tensions were mounting. I looked forward every week to see what was going on in the lives of the three central characters and in that of Doris.
This show should definitely be given another go. Or maybe a few more goes.
I have seen shows do worse in the ratings. Look what the show is up against on Sunday nights. It is well written and should be given another year. I really don’t think ***** as Folk had that great a rating at first.
Loved HBO The Looking great story lines and cast wrong decision in my opinion
Good trash tv
I’m saddened by this. I liked LOOKING. I may cancel HBO. LOOKING and THE NEWSROOM are the only shows I’ve liked on HBO in years.