The curtains have fallen on “Girls5Eva” after three seasons, with Netflix announcing its cancellation — marking the second time the show has been axed.
Originally, the musical comedy aired its first two seasons on Peacock from 2021 to 2022. However, when Peacock decided not to continue the show, Netflix stepped in and renewed it for a third season, which premiered in March 2024.
The series, created by Meredith Scardino and produced by Tina Fey, chronicled the journey of a ’90s girls group who reunite in an attempt to reignite their careers after getting an unexpected second chance. The cast included Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, and Renée Elise Goldsberry, and the show was lauded for its speedy humor and satirical original songs.
Despite high expectations for the show on Netflix, it did not meet the desired success. As per Variety TV Editor Michael Schneider, one potential reason could be the title of the show. According to him, most Netflix users don’t linger on a tile long enough to understand the context of a show.
Recently, Phillips confirmed the cancellation of the show on her podcast “Doing Her Best”. She expressed her disappointment by stating, “It’s dead. Yeah. I’m just saying it because if Netflix won’t, I will. I guess not enough people watched it or watched it the way that counts or I don’t know. I actually just don’t know,” she said to guest Danny Pellegrino.
She further added that Netflix has not provided any details regarding how the deal was structured when the show moved to Peacock for the second season. They have also not confirmed that the show is officially over.
Phillips remains hopeful, stating, “So there’s time. I don’t think it’ll ever be dead-dead. The characters are too good. I’ve even joked with the cast, like, we should do Radio City or turn it into a live stage show — a musical, maybe even Broadway someday.”
She also pondered whether the name of the show could have contributed to its lack of success. “I think the name ‘Girls5Eva’ is amazing and totally right, but I think it’s possible it alienates men — like straight dudes. Has anyone ever done a study on how women-forward titles affect the success of shows?”
Credit: variety.com
