After watching Étoile’s cast is packed with real ballet dancers.

The show puts attention and effort into showing the world of Ballet in an authentic and entertaining way, without the stereotypes of the cattiness and the glass in the pointe shoes. They succeeded with their goal, based on Étoile’s mostly positive reviews. Unfortunately, viewers will have to wait to continue the story of the Metropolitan Ballet and Paris’ Le Ballet National until Étoile season 2, which is confirmed but doesn’t have a release date, drops. After watching the new Prime Video series from the Palladinos, viewers should check out one of the best shows like Étoile – the 13-year-old comedy Bunheads.

Étoile Is Amy Sherman-Palladino's Second Ballet-Centered Show After Bunheads

Étoile feels unique in its ballet premise, fast-talking wit, and quirky characters. However, it’s actually the second ballet-centered show by Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Dan Palladino. Bunheads was released in 2012 and shares the same traits that fans like myself have come to expect from the creative couple. Bunheads tells the story of a Broadway dancer turned Vegas showgirl, Michelle Sims, who marries her obsessive fan, Hubbell, and moves to his home in Paradise, California, which he shares with his mother.

Bunheads writes a love letter to ballet while exploring the complex relationships between three generations of women.

Michelle doesn’t get off to a good start with her mother-in-law, Fanny Flowers, but they find a way to connect by teaching Fanny’s ballet school together. The show becomes like Gilmore Girls when Michelle develops friend-like relationships with four teenage ballet dancers. Bunheads writes a love letter to ballet while exploring the complex relationships between three generations of women. It’s the perfect middle ground between Gilmore Girls and Étoile. I loved the series enough to buy it for VOD before it was released on Hulu and Disney+ for streaming.

“I was a dancer. My entire world growing up was in a dance studio. It’s something that if you love it, you never don’t love it.” –Amy Sherman-Palladino to Pointe Magazine.

Why Bunheads Was Canceled After Just 1 Season, Despite Great Reviews

Bunheads Holds A Rare 100% Critic Score On Rotten Tomatoes & A 94% Audience Score

Fanny and Michelle lean against the barre in the Bunheads promo

Despite only lasting one season, Bunheads had rave reviews that should have warranted a second season. As much as I hate the fact that Bunheads was canceled after one season, they did have a very good reason to take that step. The decision might have seemed shocking since they were set to receive around $5 million to make season 2 (via Variety), but the logistics of creating the show were just too complicated.

Amy Sherman-Palladino’s scripts are notoriously long, which wasn’t too much of an issue for Gilmore Girls because they had eight days per episode and adult cast . However, Bunheads also had 80-page scripts but only seven days per episode, plus mostly child actors and dancers. The age of the actors meant they faced employment restrictions, making it difficult to coordinate their schedules.

Jonathan Groff and Gideon Glick are in front of the pink and yellow poster for Etoile

Jonathan Groff’s Étoile Season 1 Cameo Explained

One of the most notable cameos in Étoile season 1 is actor Jonathan Groff, who's onscreen for less than 3 minutes but makes an impact.

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On top of that, the young cast only had two to three days to learn their choreography, which is difficult even for adult professional dancers. Luckily, Étoile won’t have most of these issues because of the streaming format and adult cast, making it less likely that the show will get canceled after season 2.

Sources: Pointe Magazine and Variety