One of Hulu’s longest-running originals has aired its final episode. Deadbeat, which followed the adventures of a laid-back paranormal investigator, has been cancelled after three seasons and 36 episodes.
Deadbeat, which first arrived in 2014, was hailed by some (myself included) as the best original series Hulu had released up to that point. It stars Tyler Labine as Kevin, a stoner whose adept ghostbusting skills are offset by his persistent laziness. While the show never reached into groundbreakingly funny territory, it was consistent and knew its audience well. The last two season of Deadbeat were released on 4/20, thus letting potential viewers know exactly the sort of people who would enjoy the show.
In confirming the show’s cancellation on his Twitter account, Labine gave its stoner fans one final nod. He described Deadbeat as “officially cashed” and offer his thanks to the show’s production team.
Subscribe to get the latest creator news
It’s officially cashed. Thank you to @BrettKonner, @codyhe11er & @Hulu for 3 awesome seasons. Business finished! 🙁 https://t.co/QsckI5K6xS
— Tyler Labine (@TyLabine) June 5, 2016
Now that it has been cancelled, Deadbeat will occupy the same space as another recently-canned Hulu comedy, The Awesomes. Both shows arrived in the early stages of Hulu’s original programming plans, both lasted for three seasons, and while neither ended up becoming particularly memorable, they helped Hulu establish itself as a legitimate platform for in-house originals. Several comedies released since Deadbeat, such as Difficult People and Casual, have fared better in terms of critical consensus.
While no new episodes of Deadbeat will be produced, previous installments are still available on Hulu. The show’s first season is available for free, while its latter two require a monthly subscription.
