As broadcast networks, streamers and cable outlets prepare for the 2022-2023 season, they will begin greenlighting pilots and series while canceling others. Unfortunately for the Chicago production community, the news is not great for Lily Wachowski’s, Work in Progress.
The showrunner announced Thursday on her Twitter account that Showtime had not renewed the series co-created by and starring Abby McEnany.
“Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, I got the extremely disappointing news from execs at Showtime that Work in Progress was not going to be picked up for a third season,” Wachowski shared in a Twitter thread. “It was a major bummer.”
She added, “We had been through a lot. The experience of shooting through covid was extremely difficult. The masks made the experience very antiseptic to me – the intimacy – the ability to convey and receive joy and love was acutely missing…”
Wachowski also noted , “So the network was probably running the numbers and even though a show like ours, super contained, entirely shot on location in Chicago with mostly local talent, the bottom line did not work for them
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The original pilot was directed by Tessa Films’ Tim Mason and starred Abby McEnany, the plot follows the story of Abby, “a woman who re-evaluates her life while dating a trans man after the death of her therapist.” Mason and McEnany co-wrote and co-produced the pilot, which included SNL’s Julia Sweeny as the woman responsible for “ruining (Abby’s) life” in the cast.
Variety’s Caroline Framke describes the series as “nuanced and funny.” The Guardian’s Rebecca Nicholson says that it “marks the arrival of an important new voice.” Sun-Times entertainment columnist Richard Roeper declares that the show “should be one of the breakout new TV series of 2019-2020.”
Work in Progress has made 7 top 10 lists and has been nominated for best comedy in the GLAAD awards.
“We are incredibly proud of the two seasons of Work in Progress and were thrilled to spotlight the enormous talents of Abby McEnany, Lilly Wachowski and the entire cast and creative team. We look forward to having our subscribers continue to discover this special series on Showtime’s streaming platforms for years to come,” Showtime said in a statement to TheWrap.
The outlet also confirmed that Black Monday, starring Don Cheadle, was also canceled.
