Entertainment

Netflix's 'Tuca & Bertie' Was Canceled, But The Show's Creator Has A Message For Fans

by Dylan Kickham
Netflix

Sadly, Netflix's high-flying new comedy series just had an unexpected crash landing. Nearly three months after its first season debuted, Tuca & Bertie has been canceled by Netflix. But just because Netflix's Tuca & Bertie was canceled, it does not necessarily mean the end for the bird besties. Show creator Lisa Hanawalt shared a message with fans confirming that she will be seeking out a new home for Tuca & Bertie to continue their adventures.

Tuca & Bertie was met with universal critical acclaim when it was released on Netflix in early May. Its first season currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was listed as one of the best new shows of 2019 by a number of publications. The animated series chronicles the day-to-day life of best friends Tuca and Bertie, an impulsive toucan and anxious but motivated songbird who help each other realize their goals in life. The dynamic of the central friendship has drawn comparisons to Broad City, and the psychedelic anthropomorphic art style extends showrunner Lisa Hanawalt's similar work on BoJack Horseman, which she designs and produces. The show also featured an impressive cast of comedic voices, fronted by Tiffany Haddish as Tuca and Ali Wong as Bertie.

Shortly after Netflix announced that it was not ordering a second season of Tuca & Bertie, creator Lisa Hanawalt shared a message of gratitude on Twitter to fans of the series. At the end of the heartfelt thread, Hanawalt shared that she is still hopeful that another network or streaming platform may pick up a second season of Tuca & Bertie so that she may continue their story.

Hoping for another network to pick up a canceled series was pretty much entirely unheard of in the past, but it has actually become a lot more common in recent years due to vocal fan support online. Over the past few years, NBC saved Brooklyn Nine-Nine after being canceled by Fox, Hulu picked up The Mindy Project after Fox canceled it, and most recently, Pop TV picked up One Day at a Time following a fervent fan campaign after Netflix's cancelation. It is definitely possible for another network to pick up Tuca & Bertie following Netflix's cancelation, especially if fans make enough noise online.

While the final episode of Tuca & Bertie Season 1 could work well as a series finale, it also opens up some potential storylines for a second season. In the finale, Bertie opens up her own bakery and actually finds success with it, and Tuca makes the decision to repair her fractured relationship with her family. A potential second season could delve deeper into both of these storylines, showing the struggles of Bertie now running her own business and Tuca finally becoming emotionally open with her family.

While we wait to hear more about Tuca & Bertie's potential future, Lisa Hanawalt is still working on a Netflix show since BoJack Horseman was renewed for a sixth season shortly after its fifth season premiered last fall.