American Vandal' Season 3: Netflix Cancels the Beloved True Crime Parody
Peter and Sam exit the film industry as Netflix cancels the brilliant and hilarious true crime spoof.
by Eric FranciscoWho drew the dicks? Who is the Turd Burglar? Who canceled American Vandal Season 3? The answer to that last question is Netflix.
Following the shocking cancellations of Marvel shows Iron Fist and Luke Cage, the streaming giant axed its comedy faux-documentary series American Vandal. Variety reported and confirmed the news on Friday.
“American Vandal will not return for a third season,” Netflix said in a statement. “We’re very grateful to the creators, writers, cast and crew for bringing their innovative comedy to Netflix, and to the fans and critics who embraced its unique and unconventional humor.”
Variety adds that Netflix’s decision to cancel the series was in part because it was produced by an outside studio, similar to those cancelled Marvel shows. Netflix is looking to produce more content in-house for greater control over worldwide distribution.
In each of its two seasons, American Vandal followed best friends and young filmmakers Peter Maldonado (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam Ecklund (Griffin Gluck) as they produce a “true crime” documentary examining an incident at a high school perpetuated by an unknown individual.
The series was hailed as a brilliant spoof of Netflix’s own brand of true crime documentaries (i.e. Making a Murderer) while exploring the different, difficult dimensions of being a teenager in the modern age.
Tyler Alvarez and Jimmy Tatro star in 'American Vandal' on Netflix.
The cancellation happens in spite of critical acclaim and popularity around the series; it has an average of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, and an impressive 89% score as rated by audiences. The first season won a Peabody Award in 2018 when the series was hailed as a “surprisingly insightful rumination on contemporary life.” It was also described as “Wickedly funny” and “offers a look at how the ethical questions of the true crime genre intersect with the harsh realities of being a teenager in the age of social media.”
Perhaps if the makers of American Vandal find a new home for the series, Peter and Sam can take on the mystery of why Netflix canceled them.
