In a shocking turn of events, Peacock canceledStephanie Hsu’s hit romantic comedy show after just 1 season despite overwhelmingly positive reviews. Though she’s better known for her onscreen roles, Stephanie Hsu started her career acting as Karen the Computer inSpongebob the Musicaland Christine Canigula inBe More Chill, both of which showed the actor’s comedic chops.
Onscreen, Hsu grew to fame for playing Joy Wang andJobu Tupaki inEverything Everywhere All At Once, for which she gained a 2023 Oscar nomination. The movie might not traditionally be considered a comedy, but the character of Jobu Tupaki inserts dark humor into the beautifully bizarre storyline.
Falling in line with her Broadway debut and her breakout movie role, Hsu has gained a reputation for being a top-notch comedy actor. Her role inThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiseladded some levity to the drama. She stands out in the best way possible inThe Fall GuyandJoy Ride. As such, Hsu getting cast as the lead character, Ruby, in Peacock’shilariously messy rom-comLaidwas no surprise, and it was just as enjoyable as expected.
Peacock Canceled Laid After 1 Season, Despite Positive Reviews
Sadly, Ruby’s Story In Peacock’s Laid Won’t Continue
Based on the titular Australian TV show,Laidfollows Ruby (Stephanie Hsu), a party planner who falls for her client. However, things go horribly awry when all her past sexual partners start dying in horrifying and hilarious ways, a mystery that she must solve before Isaac (Tommy Martinez) meets the same fate. Fans became hooked on the macabre and shocking premise, and the performances byLaid’s lead castonly elevated the TV show. Stephanie Hsu’s Ruby and Zosia Mamet’s AJ bounce off each other perfectly, making the best friend duo entertaining to watch.
BecauseLaidends on a major cliffhanger, fans were fully prepared for Peacock to put out a second season that would solve the mystery of why Ruby’s ex-sexual partners are dying. Unfortunately,Deadlinerevealed on August 05, 2025, that Peacock has officially canceledLaid. Though Peacock didn’t provide a reason, it likely comes down to the low viewership. As Deadline points out, the show didn’t land on Nielsen’s streaming ranking, a good indicator of whether a show has enough attention to warrant another season.
Our Thoughts On Laid’s Cancelation After Just 1 Season
Peacock Needs To Figure Out How To Market Their Shows Better
This cycle of investing emotion and time in a show only for it to get canceled after one season is getting tiring. At this point, I’ve come to expect that the most entertaining shows will get unceremoniously canceled. However, in the case ofLaid, I’m disappointed but not even slightly surprised. It seems that Ruby slept with the TV show because it was dead from the start.
Peacock has a significant issue when it comes to marketing, as it doesn’t promote its shows widely enough to reach the intended audience.Laidhad such little attention before its release that almost no entertainment websites covered the show at first. I’m fully convinced that if Hulu or Netflix had put the show out, it would’ve been a hit with audiences and potentially received a second season.
Unfortunately,fans are now left in a disappointing situation where we have a million questions about what would have happened and no answers. The end of Peacock’sLaiddiverges significantly from the Australian TV show, so it’s not like fans can just go watch the other show to solve the mysteries. Instead, we are stuck in a state of limbo, and it’s unlikely we will ever get answers.
