#PEN15 Is Ending at Hulu After Two Seasons

“#PEN15 Is Ending at Hulu After Two Seasons”

PEN15’s creators are pulling the plug on the series, but Hulu is keeping the door open for them to return later on.

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It’s going to be a two-season run for PEN15 at Hulu. The critically acclaimed series will be coming to an end with the conclusion of season 2, with the second batch of the season, which now serves as the show’s final episodes, arriving in December. Fans should not start heading towards the Hulu headquarters with torches and pitchforks as this decision came straight from the series leads, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle.

Per THR, Erskine and Konkle have been working on the series for nearly a decade, even with just two seasons making it to Hulu. This has left them ready to take a break, and the acclaim they’ve received from PEN15 should make it much easier for them to line up other gigs. THR also reports that Hulu has left the door open for a return to PEN15 should they change their minds. While no other projects at Hulu are set in stone, the streamer also reportedly wants to work with both on other titles in the future.

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PEN15 was nominated for an Emmy this year for Outstanding Comedy Series in addition to scoring a 97% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes. This success may have fans wondering why the show has to end, but the reality is that 34-year-olds can only play high-schoolers for so long. They’ve begun securing roles that are more in line with their real ages, which includes Erskine joining Ewan McGregor in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Konkle boarding the movie Together Together.

Previously, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle detailed to the New Yorker the struggles they faced in trying to film season 2 of PEN15 during the pandemic. They also revealed how they had always imagined that the show would end after three seasons, as they “would all have to move past seventh grade” at some point. Now, it seems that the two would simply prefer to call it quits while they’re ahead and focus on other creative endeavors.

“Season 1 we were shocked by the moments where we felt the pain so viscerally — that was surprising for us [because] in our minds, they were funny scenes, but it would transform the show slowly as we were doing it,” Erskine also told Deadline of the show going darker in season 2. “I laughed every single day with her because I think in the first season there was so much pressure and we treated it like ‘this is probably the only season we will ever have. We didn’t get to sit in the pleasure of being 13 again.”

Konkle added, “I think there is something about being able to go back there and be super positive and näive — there’s something fun and refreshing about going there. I feel like 10 years from now we’ll be like, ‘Was that therapy or was that pure masochism?’”

The second half of season 2 of PEN15, which now serves as the final season, will be debuting on Hulu on Dec. 3. You can watch the previous episodes now on the streaming service. This news comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter.