HBO Max may #SaveTheVentureBros

Image: The Venture Bros./Adult Swim
Image: The Venture Bros./Adult Swim

Netflix renews Space Force and opts not to renew The Order. Apple TV+ is giving us more of M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant and HBO Max may #SaveTheVentureBros.

A couple months back, we learned that Adult Swim had cancelled The Venture Bros. after nearly 20 years on the air (although that only worked out to seven seasons; episodes came out very infrequently). The animated comedy was (if you ask me) one of the funniest things on TV, an extended mediation of failure that drew on everything from obscure (at the time) superhero comics to ’70s glam rock. It was just weird enough to work, and I started missing it the second the cancellation was announced.

But today, with TV shows getting rebooted all the time, cancellation need not be the end. Fans have wondered if the show might be revived on HBO Max, since parent company WarnerMedia also runs Adult Swim. The other day, HBO Max head Andy Forssell gave us some hope:

"The Venture Bros fans are passionate, but incredibly civil. I’ve received tons of emails, all of which are short very well written notes, oozing with politeness. Class fans. Nothing imminent, but know that we’re working on it. #SaveTheVentureBros"

So there’s not likely to be an announcement tomorrow, but they’re “working on it.” I’ll take it. Let’s see if creators Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick weigh in.

Frankly, The Venture Bros. news is just about all I care about right now, but there are other things going on. For example, Deadline reports that Netflix has renewed Space Force, the just-alright workplace comedy about the newest branch of the armed forces, for a second season. So we can look forward to more of one of the best casts in comedy — Steve Carrel, Ben Schwartz, John Malkovich, Tawny Newsome, Lisa Kudrow, Patrick Warburton, Jane Lynch, the late Fred Willard and more — delivering so-so jokes.

Meanwhile, Netflix has opted not to make a third season of The Order, its Canadian-American drama about a secret black magic society involving werewolves, evil magicians…you name it. Although showrunner Dennis Heaton did share a couple of the things people would be missing out on:

Finally, Apple TV+ dropped a teaser for the second season of M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant, about a creepy doll. There’s a reason it’s a horror standby.

The cast from the first season returns, including Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Rupert Grint and Nell Tiger Free as Leanne, the spooky nanny at the center of the story.

Expect Servant season 2 on January 15.

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