In a shocking turn of events, Peacock canceled Stephanie Hsu’s hit romantic comedy show after just 1 season despite overwhelmingly positive reviews. Though she’s better known for her onscreen roles, Stephanie Hsu started her career acting as Karen the Computer in Spongebob the Musical and Christine Canigula in Be More Chill, both of which showed the actor’s comedic chops.

Onscreen, Hsu grew to fame for playing Joy Wang and Jobu Tupaki in Everything Everywhere All At Once, for which she gained a 2023 Oscar nomination. The movie might not traditionally be considered a comedy, but the character of Jobu Tupaki inserts dark humor into the beautifully bizarre storyline.

Falling in line with her Broadway debut and her breakout movie role, Hsu has gained a reputation for being a top-notch comedy actor. Her role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel added some levity to the drama. She stands out in the best way possible in The Fall Guy and Joy Ride. As such, Hsu getting cast as the lead character, Ruby, in Peacock’s hilariously messy rom-com Laid was no surprise, and it was just as enjoyable as expected.

Peacock Canceled Laid After 1 Season, Despite Positive Reviews

Sadly, Ruby's Story In Peacock's Laid Won't Continue

Based on the titular Australian TV show, Laid’s lead cast only elevated the TV show. Stephanie Hsu’s Ruby and Zosia Mamet’s AJ bounce off each other perfectly, making the best friend duo entertaining to watch.

Because Laid ends on a major cliffhanger, fans were fully prepared for Peacock to put out a second season that would solve the mystery of why Ruby’s ex-sexual partners are dying. Unfortunately, Deadline revealed on May 29, 2025, that Peacock has officially canceled Laid. Though Peacock didn’t provide a reason, it likely comes down to the low viewership. As Deadline points out, the show didn’t land on Nielsen’s streaming ranking, a good indicator of whether a show has enough attention to warrant another season.

Our Thoughts On Laid’s Cancelation After Just 1 Season

Peacock Needs To Figure Out How To Market Their Shows Better

This cycle of investing emotion and time in a show only for it to get canceled after one season is getting tiring. At this point, I’ve come to expect that the most entertaining shows will get unceremoniously canceled. However, in the case of Laid, I’m disappointed but not even slightly surprised. It seems that Ruby slept with the TV show because it was dead from the start.

Peacock has a significant issue when it comes to marketing, as it doesn’t promote its shows widely enough to reach the intended audience. Laid had such little attention before its release that almost no entertainment websites covered the show at first. I’m fully convinced that if Hulu or Netflix had put the show out, it would’ve been a hit with audiences and potentially received a second season.

Unfortunately, fans are now left in a disappointing situation where we have a million questions about what would have happened and no answers. The end of Peacock’s Laid diverges significantly from the Australian TV show, so it’s not like fans can just go watch the other show to solve the mysteries. Instead, we are stuck in a state of limbo, and it’s unlikely we will ever get answers.

Source: Deadline