Max Cancels Beloved Comedy Series

Max has made the decision to pull the plug on Issa Rae’s Rap Sh!t. After two seasons on the streaming platform, fans won’t get anymore adventures in the comedic portrait of trying to make it in the music industry. Aida Osman starred in Rap Sh!t as Shawna Clark. She was struggling to get her music career off the ground. KaMillion also played a big role in the show as fellow rapper Mia. Season 2 of Rap Sh!t ended just a few weeks ago on December 21. Despite rave reviews and positive buzz on social media, that just wasn’t enough for Max. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the second season had managed the astonishing feat of 100% freshnesss with critics. As the year continues on, Max fans will have to make do without both Our Flag Means Death and Rap Sh!t. 

“We are extremely grateful to Issa Rae for creating Rap Sh!t, a one-of-a-kind comedy with compelling social commentary that reached viewers in a way only Issa’s talents can accomplish,” a Max spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. “A huge thank you to Issa, showrunner Syreeta Singleton and the teams at Hoorae and 3 Arts Entertainment for introducing us to Shawna and Mia, a duo whose journey fans have been invested in and who they have continued to root for through everything. We’ll never get Seduce and Scheme out of our heads and we wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Max Cancels Other Fan-Favorites

Rap Sh!t is far from the first Max favorite to bite the dust since the Discovery merger. In fact, the show isn’t even the first Issa Rae program to have that distinction. Last year, the streamer said goodbye to A Black Lady Sketch Show. Robin Thede’s program was a favorite from the HBO Max era that got the boot. However, the creator did get to send out a message of thanks to the fans.

“Thank you to all the immensely talented cast members, guest stars, writers, directors, editors and crew members who have made A Black Lady Sketch Show an Emmy-winning success,” Thede said after the decision to end the series came down. “I especially want to recognize the Black women and other women of color who excelled in every department at ‘ABLSS’. I am also eternally grateful for the support of Issa Rae and Jax Media, Amy Gravitt, Casey Bloys and the entire team at HBO, Max and Warner Bros. Discovery.”

“For four exceptional seasons of ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ we’ve been thrilled to partner with her on this groundbreaking, hilarious series,” HBO wrote in their own statement after the news broke. “Robin, alongside Hoorae, Jax Media, and the incredible cast and crew, leave an indelible legacy not only in sketch, but in television comedy, and we look forward to continued creative collaboration under her deal with us.”

Issa Rae’s Other Work Finds Success In Other Places

The past few years have seen Warner Bros. Discovery make some “cost-saving measures,” which usually include cancelling programming to save money in taxes. Max lost a number of original titles and ones made famous on HBO last year. Luckily for some viewers, a handful of them have appeared on FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) services. Some of the shows touted on TUBI and Roku include Westworld, Raised by Wolves, Lovecraft Country, and The Nevers.

While Netflix has made a great showing with Issa Rae’s Insecure, it seems that the brand could kick the tires on this other prestige TV moving forward. A wide audience seemed to be a problem for some of the programs in question. Max had people really talking online, but the sudden decline of Twitter under Elon Musk’s leadership and changing winds in the streaming industry have lead to what we have seen this week.

Are you sad about Rap Sh!t? Let us know down in the comments!