Looks like school’s out: After three seasons at HBO’s streaming platform Max, “The Sex Lives of College Girls” has officially been canceled at the streamer, per a Deadline exclusive.
The coming-of-age comedy, created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, follows the lives of four rambunctious roommates at the fictional Essex College in Vermont. The most recent season ended in January, with the last episode ultimately giving its coeds an “honest” and “satisfying” ending rather than some splashy or surprising conclusion, Noble previously told The Hollywood Reporter.
Though Noble revealed that the season 3 finale wasn’t meant to wrap up the entire series, that now looks to be the case as Max executives decided not to pick the series up for a fourth season. According to Deadline, Kaling and co. are currently shopping around the randy teen comedy to other streaming homes, which Noble confirmed via an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“I think ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ is a pretty damn good TV show. Unfortunately, Max has decided not to order a fourth season,” the co-showrunner posted.
“We are currently in discussions with some new potential homes for the show, and it’s nice that there is so much interest — but regardless of what happens, I’m proud of this show and the work that so many incredibly talented people put into it.”
Max doesn’t usually release viewership data around its titles, though Noble did include in his post: “After seeing our show listed as the most watched or second most watched scripted show on the entire platform for about 70 straight days, this is not the outcome I saw coming.”
But “The Sex Lives of College Girls” did receive positive critical reactions when it debuted back in November 2021. The show’s first season earned an impressive 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the sophomore season was similarly acclaimed, with a strong 93% approval rating.
However, the third season — the first without star Reneé Rapp as a series regular — failed to replicate that kind of critical success. The latest episodes received only a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Along with the departing Rapp, “Sex Lives” season 3 featured fellow original cast members Pauline Chalamet as Kimberly Finkle, Amrit Kaur as Bela Malhotra and Alyah Chanelle Scott as Whitney Chase, with Gracie Lawrence, Mia Rodgers, Christopher Meyer, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino and Renika Williams rounding out the third season’s ensemble.
“No matter what happens, ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ has three seasons that showcased incredible performances and told so many important stories while also managing to fill those stories with laughs,” Noble wrote on Instagram. “In a world of ‘content,’ it’s a show that strived to make sure it entertained — and I feel that we did that.”
