HBO Max’s Generation will not be returning for a second season. The streaming service made the announcement on Tuesday, in what might be its first scripted cancellation. The high school dramedy, which first premiered in March, was co-created by teenager Zelda Barnz and her father, screenwriter Daniel Barnz, and executive produced by Lena Dunham. The series aired its first season in two eight-episode batches, with the finale airing on July 8th.
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“We will not be moving forward with a second season of Genera+ion. We are very proud to have partnered with Zelda and Daniel Barnz to faithfully and authentically represent LGBTQ youth with such a diverse group of characters and layered stories,” an HBO Max spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We thank them and our wonderfully gifted cast for all their hard work and collaboration.”
Generation followed a group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community. The cast of the series included Justice Smith, Chase Sui Wonders, Uly Schlesinger, Chloe East, Nava Mau, Lukita Maxwell, Haley Sanchez, Nathanya Alexander and Martha Plimpton.
“We both understood that the authorship of the show had to rest in an equal divide,” Daniel Barnz said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year. “Because part of what was driving this for Zelda was that she didn’t see people like her or the people that she knew on TV. She wanted to tell a story that felt authentic to who she was and not filtered through the lens of adults. I was always listening carefully to what Zelda wanted this show to be and how she wanted these characters to be living out in the world. And sometimes that meant going against normal television conventions.
“Zelda understood that for the show to succeed, it had to feel really honest and therefore she was going to have to be honest about stuff in her life and with her friends,” Barnz continued. “That began changing our dynamic not just as creative partners but as father/daughter because she could say things within the context of talking about the show that would also reveal things about her life or what she was feeling. It ended up opening up a lot of pathways of communication. For somebody that came from a family that was not at all like that, it was liberating. I will admit that a lot of times I also find myself blushing. Working on the show has made us more open as people and as a family.”
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