They say Hollywood’s a tough business, even for the biggest of stars. This was evident recently when Hulu cancelled the mostly ignored sitcom Reboot, despite the show featuring heavy hitters like Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Judy Greer and Paul Reiser.
The sitcom’s premise was that it was a behind the scenes look at a reboot of a fictional early 2000s show called Step Right Up. It’s admittedly a pretty good concept that unfortunately just never caught on, and now the show’s never going to get a second season.
Reboot had a lot of impressive pedigree behind the scenes as well. It was created and ran by Steve Levitan, who helmed the classic family sitcom Modern Family for eleven seasons. Levitan is reportedly shopping the show to other outlets, according to Variety.
The reviews weren’t bad either. It had an 88 percent score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 68 percent audience score. Time Magazine said the show “channels viewers’ ambivalence toward the unrealistic shows that shaped us into a compelling blend of comedic sensibilities new and old. Sappy sitcoms age poorly, but kindness is a classic.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Levitan had a multiple-season plan for the show, and admitted he felt a lot of pressure coming off one of the most successful TV sitcoms ever.
“It occurs to you that it’d be a much smarter move to just say, ‘I’m going to ride Modern Family out with the sunset and go off to wine country. But I wanted to keep working. I enjoy this and like to write and create. I do feel the pressure of that. I tried to harness it in a good way to motivate me to not settle.”
The first season of Reboot is still streaming on Hulu.