Saturday Night Live alum and animated series creator Anna Drezen shared via Instagram Monday night that her 2D adult cult comedy Praise Petey has come to a end after running for one season on Freeform. The show had been the Disney-owned young adult-targeted network’s first venture into original animation.
“Sad to say Praise Petey will not be renewed at Freeform,” Drezen wrote. “I cannot believe we got to make this show. Best crew, best cast, top to bottom the dream of my life to make something this funny and unwell that went on actual television. I have heard that making a non-IP show during COVID that premieres during a double strike in the dead of summer was not ideal for viewership. It’s still on Hulu as of right now, if you want to watch it you should do it soon.”
Created by Drezen and executive produced by King of the Hill creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels (Bandera Entertainment), Praise Petey followed an NYC “It Girl” whose life begins falling apart, leading her to take over of her deceased father’s small-town cult, New Utopia.
Praise Petey is still available to stream on Hulu, for now.
The series stars Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek) as Petey; Christine Baranski (The Good Fight) as her mother, White St. Barts; Stephen Root (Barry) as Father; John Cho (Star Trek) as local hunk Bandit; Kiersey Clemmons (The Flash) as Eliza; and Amy Hill (Magnum P.I.). S1 guest stars included Alan Tudyk and Alfred Molina.
Exec producers also include ShadowMachine’s Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio) and Monica Padrick (Central Park). The series was produced by Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television Animation, with animation by ShadowMachine.
Praise Petey‘s cancellation comes in the wake of new leadership for Freeform, with EVP Scripted for ABC Simran Sodhi Sethi adding the cabler to her purview — Single Drunk Female and The Watchful Eye have also been cut, leaving the outlet with just three scripted original series, all live-action. Last week, Walt Disney Company head Bob Iger revealed that the entertainment giant is looking to cut another $2 billion in costs, after posting better-than-expected Q4 earnings.
