Another one bites the dust at Hulu, and this time, it's the star-studded sitcom Mid-Century Modern. The series has unfortunately been canceled after only one season as announced by the creators on social media and confirmed by entertainment news outlets shortly after. Once again, a sitcom with a lot of heart and humor and even more promise had its run cut far too short.
From Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, the comedy series premiered on March 28, 2025 with its full 10-episode season streaming all at once. Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham starred in Mid-Century Modern as three gay men of a certain age who decide to move in together and weather all of life's ups and downs as a trio of best friends.
While the season — now series — finale left the door open for the trio to return for season 2, Hulu's cancellation now confirms that a second season isn't in the cards. For fans who have been waiting months to hear word from Hulu on a renewal decision, it's a definite blow. But what caused the streamer to decide against renewing Mid-Century Modern for season 2?
Mid-Century Modern likely didn't have high enough ratings to earn a season 2 renewal from Hulu
According to a report from Deadline, the cast's contracts were nearing their expiration date, which prompted a quick decision to be announced though the writing had definitely been on the wall. The outlet also suggested that although Mid-Century Modern was well-received by both critics and fans with scores in the 80s on Rotten Tomatoes, the sitcom didn't pull enough ratings.
Unlike Netflix, Hulu doesn't reveal viewership figures in the same way, but it's estimated that Mid-Century Modern didn't manage to attract a sizable viewership to warrant a renewal. It's been a struggle for streaming services to successful launch original multi-camera sitcoms, a genre of comedy television that's currently having difficulty connecting with viewers.
While there have been popular streaming original multi-cam sitcoms, like The Ranch and The Upshaws on Netflix, they pale in comparison to the vast library of sitcom hits from the small screen, some of which are still massive draws (like Friends and The Big Bang Theory). Netflix recently renewed Leanne for season 2, though the series debuted to modest ratings.
Hulu should take more chances to resolve its comedy problem
Multi-cam sitcoms have traditionally been far more economical to produce, even with star powered talent, but Hulu can't seem to launch one. The streamer also canceled Hilary Duff-starring sitcom How I Met Your Father, a spinoff of How I Met Your Mother, after two seasons without explanation and without resolving the promise of its title. Hulu should have taken a chance on both shows.
If it weren't for Only Murders in the Building, which has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards and is currently in its fifth season, Hulu would have a major comedy problem. Sure, Only Murders isn't a multi-cam comedy, but it's the streamer's reigning original comedy. Glen Powell also stars in new series Chad Powers, which also isn't a multi-cam but definitely offers laughs.
Mid-Century Modern deserved to return for a second season in order to continue to gain an audience. Hulu also could have promoted the series better and used some of the tools at its disposal in order to do so, like airing the show on broadcast or cable networks to incentivize those viewers to tune in. But then again, Hulu tried that with How I Met Your Father, so the problem persists.