It’s been six years sinceFleabagended, and it’s still disappointing that the Prime Video comedy series only lasted for two seasons. Plenty ofTV shows were canceled before their time, and there’s always a question of what could have been had the series been allowed to continue. Amazon Prime Video does not have as itchy a trigger finger when it comes to cutting shows as a service like Netflix, but it’s still been known to end shows early. However, the streaming services and networks aren’t always to blame for a TV show ending.
Sometimes, creators have a set number of seasons in mind. In the past, with network TV, space was limited for shows, so if you’re a showrunner lucky enough to get on the air, chances are you’ll keep it going until they drag you out of the studio lot. Now, with streamers,creators have multiple chances to get a showpicked up, so they might not feel the pressure to continue an acclaimed series as long as possible, like they used to.Fleabagis a show that I wish kept going, but I get why Phoebe Waller-Bridge decided to end it.
It’s Been 6 Years & I’m Still Disappointed Fleabag Didn’t Get A Longer Run On Prime Video
Fleabag Only Has 12 Episodes In The Entire Show
Fleabagpremiered in July 2016 with a six-episode season following the titular character, who is only ever referred to as “Fleabag”.Fleabagwas created by and stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Fleabag, a free-spirited but hyperactive and often angry young woman living in London who does not have a good idea of what she wants in life. Based on Waller-Bridge’s one-woman play of the same name,Fleabagoften operates like a play, with Fleabag making comments and asides to the audience, breaking the fourth wall while doing so.
Many of the show’s characters go unnamed, but Fleabag does have a family, including a sister named Claire (Sian Clifford), whom she often spats with. Both seasons find Fleabag coming to terms with some of the poorer choices she’s made in her life, as well as defending the choices she’s happy about but about which others disapprove. It’s a witty slice-of-life story with a character at the center played to perfection by Waller-Bridge. Series 2 premiered in 2019 and offered another 6 episodes, which sadly means,in total, we only ever got 12 episodes ofFleabag.
Why Fleabag Was Only 2 Seasons Despite Being A Masterpiece
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Thought That Fleabag’s Story Was Fully Told
Fleabagwent on to earn three Golden Globe nominations, winning twice, and currently has a 100% onRotten Tomatoes. With such a small cast, fairly mundane locations, simple filming style, and short seasons, it probably would have cost Prime Video very little to continue supportingFleabag. Despite being a success by basically every metric,Fleabagended after two seasons. It may be a bit of a comfort to know thatit was Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s decision to endFleabag, rather than it being some faceless decision made with a spreadsheet.
Waller-Bridge decided that season 2 would be the end ofFleabagbecause it was the right time to end her character’s arc (viaTHR). She said about the ending,
“I was performing the end and I was really emotional and I was suddenly hit by the whole journey of the character and then I felt her go. And it was such a lovely feeling, Ah we’ve done the right thing, we’ve ended the story at the right time.”
As much as I would have loved to have moreFleabag, Waller-Bridge made the wise decision. To continue a show after a character’s story is told rarely works out. Too many great shows have been hobbled by the series going and going long after it’s said everything it needed to. Waller-Bridge completed Fleabag’s story, and she knew thatgracefully stepping away would be the best way to honor the character and her show.
Fleabag’s Perfect Ending Almost Makes Up For Its Short Run
The Finale Is As Satisfying As An Ending Can Be
What’s more,Fleabagended in such a satisfying way that I would still be nervous to hear there was a season 3, because it could risk ruining a perfect finale. In season 2, episode 6, the wedding between Fleabag’s godmother (Olivia Colman) and her father (Bill Paterson) is the center stage for Claire finally divorcing her awful husband, the priest (Andrew Scott) admitting he loves Fleabag but choosing to uphold his vows of the priesthood, and Fleabag seemingly no different from from when she stated in terms of external changes.
Internally, she’s a completely different person.She has finally come to love herself after two seasonsof self-hatred, regret, pity, and loathing, all hidden behind her wisecracking veneer and secret asides to the audience. In the final episode, despite knowing she’ll never be with the priest, she now knows she’s capable of being loved, and so she walks away from the audience, her crutch that she would use to escape the reality of her situation. She’s content. It’s endings like this one inFleabagthat support the case for shows ending sooner rather than later.
