FX's Post-Apocalyptic 'Y: The Last Man' Couldn't Survive Cancellation
Y: The Last Man isn’t the last of anything anymore.
Showrunner Eliza Clark announced on Twitter today that the series has officially been canceled by FX and won’t be returning to the network for a second season.
“We have learned that we will not be moving forward with FX on Hulu for Season 2 of Y: The Last Man. I have never in my life been more committed to a story, and there is so much more left to tell,” Clark tweeted.
“Y: The Last Man is about gender, about how oppressive systems inform identity,” she continued. “We had a gender diverse team of brilliant artists, led by women at almost every corner of our production. Producers, writers, directors, cinematographers, production design, costume design, stunt coordination, and more. It is the most collaborative, creatively fulfilling, and beautiful thing I have ever been a part of. We don’t want it to end.”
She also mentioned that the show will now search for a new home, and she’s not ready to give up on having a second season elsewhere. “We know that someone else is going to be very lucky to have this team and this story. I have never experienced the remarkable solidarity of this many talented people,” she wrote. “We are committed to finding Y its next home. #YLivesOn.”
While Clark praised the show for it’s gender diverse team, many viewers and critics thought the show’s understanding of gender was a little elementary. The premise of the show, and the comic it’s based on, was that every mammal with a Y chromosome on earth died, except for two: Yorick Brown and his pet monkey.
While the show mentioned trans women, intersex people and nonbinary people, and even included one trans man in the cast, it never fully dealt with the fact that there was a mass genocide of trans women, or that Yorick would be far from the last man, as most trans men would still be alive.
For many, the show seemed to be stuck in a 2010 understanding of gender and sex, and fell flat as a series because of that.
However, the show did have its fans, including trans writer Charlie Jane Anders who worked on the show. “Getting to be involved with this show has been one of the coolest experiences of my life, and I'm so proud to have gotten to help you bring your creative vision to the screen. I have ZERO doubt that someone else will have the good sense to pick this show up,” she tweeted to Clark.
There are still three episodes remaining to air this season before the show ends, with the next one set to premiere on Monday, October 18 on FX.
RELATED | Hannah Gadsby to Netflix CEO: 'F*ck You & Your Amoral Algorithm Cult'
