The Other Two To End After Season 3 Finale Amid Show Creators Controversy
BY BJ COLANGELO/JUNE 28, 2023 7:59 PM EST
"The Other Two" was arguably one of the best comedies since the launch of HBO Max (now just Max), but took a few seasons to finally find its audience. Created by former "Saturday Night Live" head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, "The Other Two" is a Hollywood satire about two self-obsessed, floundering millennial siblings named Cary (Drew Tarver) and Brooke Dubek (Heléne Yorke) who find themselves living in their version of a hellish nightmare when their little brother Chase (Case Walker) becomes an internet sensation overnight. Cary and Brooke evoke a similar sassy sarcasm to Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner on "Difficult People," as the show's celebrity commentary hilariously skewers all angles of pop culture.
The third season wraps up on June 29, 2023, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will not return for a season 4. The decision seems shocking as "The Other Two" had seemingly finally become the watercooler discussion series it deserved to be, but the choice was that of Kelly and Schneider's, not the Max streaming app's.
"It is bittersweet to say goodbye to the Dubek family after three seasons, but we always knew, both creatively and personally, that this was where we wanted to end their stories," Kelly and Schneider said in a joint statement. "And because we are quite literally out of ways to humiliate Drew Tarver, so what's the point?" The duo continued by thanking everyone (aka "gays") who watched the show (they're not wrong), as well as everyone who helped bring their vision to life.
The timing is, unfortunately, suspect, as THR reports there were multiple complaints alleging a toxic work environment on set and in the writers' room led by the show's creators.
Uh, was this show autobiographical?
THR wrote that multiple insiders say that there is "no causal connection" between the show's ending and the work environment complaints, but the allegations are equal parts disappointing and ironic considering the nature of the show. Sources told THR that Chris Kelly "verbally abused writers and overworked crew and claims that Schneider enabled his behavior." The complaints were enough to warrant an internal investigation, and the duo was formally cleared of any wrongdoing. Even still, there's a bit of gallows humor to be found that a show satirizing the unchecked egos and toxic behavior of people in the entertainment industry ... comes to an end following the investigation of unchecked egos and toxic behavior of people in the entertainment industry.
"There's a lot of Chris and Sarah in the show ... I think a lot of their frustration comes from not being on-camera," an insider told THR. "These are two people who started off as improvisers. This is a show about people who are hungering for fame. Their friends and colleagues became well-known ... It's a lot like the show." Apparently, another source said the working environment was an open secret in the biz, stating, "Other writers tell stories about 'The Other Two' writers' rooms like other people tell ghost stories." Yikes. We hope that for all involved the show's end is merely coincidental, but if the working conditions are as bad as they sound, we look forward to the future tell-all book breaking it down — preferably written by Mo Ryan.
But in the wise words of Chase Dubek, "You gotta live life to the fullest, 'cause you never know when it's all gonna be over, so you've just got to chase dreams."