Netflix cancels another TV series, lead star opts for another show

Update: Pretty Smart will officially not be returning for season two with the show now cancelled, a Netflix spokesperson has confirmed to T3. 

Original Story: Netflix has reportedly cancelled the US sitcom Pretty Smart starring Emily Osment as Chelsea, after only one season on the streaming platform. 

As first reported by TVLine, the decision to not bring back Pretty Smart for a second season comes in light of Osment's promotion to a series regular on the CBS coming-of-age sitcom Young Sheldon. The actor joined in season five in a recurring role but will now see her part expanded in season six. Young Sheldon has also been renewed for season seven with season five set to culminate on May 19th this year.

Pretty Smart followed book-smart Chelsea as she learns about happiness from her bubbly sister and three roommates. The 10-episode series debuted in October 2021 on Netflix and currently stands at a 40% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. 

T3 has reached out to Netflix for comment. 

The synopsis for Pretty Smart reads: "After getting unexpectedly dumped by her boyfriend, Chelsea – a high-brow, Harvard-educated intellectual and aspiring novelist – is forced to move in with her bubbly, carefree, not-so-intellectual West Coast sister, Claire, and her three lovably eccentric, not-so-intellectual roommates: Grant, a distractingly handsome personal trainer, Solana, a former lawyer turned healer, and Jayden, a social media influencer.

Netflix has been on a cancellation spree since the beginning of 2022, with the Michael B. Jordan superhero show Raising Dion being scrapped after two seasons only yesterday. Then only last week did Netflix cancel the sequel to the movie Bright starring Will Smith, following the actor's incident at the Oscars. 

So why are so many shows being cancelled at the minute? Netflix is believed to have an internal algorithm that weights up production costs to make the TV series and what return it will get, which is usually attributed as a reason. Another potentiality might be put down to Strangers Things and how the upcoming season reportedly costs $30 million an episode. With so many shows failing to be renewed for anything past season two, this has seen the Netflix curse fester further, something that looks to not be slowing down anytime soon. 

Pretty Smart stars Emily Osment, Gregg Sulkin, Olivia Macklin, Cinthya Carmona and Michael Hsu Rosen. Ming-Na Wen also made an appearance in the series. 

Meanwhile, a new government ruling could mean a big change for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus and other streaming services if the new ruling passes.