Why Did the Show Get Canceled? Rumors Abound

When the television series The Other Two premiered on Comedy Central in January 2019, it was like drinking a cold insane glass of water after walking through a dull, dry desert. The show really took off after shifting to Max for its second and third seasons, with every episode somehow more ridiculous than the last. Where else could we find such a brutal takedown of the inner workings of the entertainment industry, couched in some of the most unhinged comedy the world has ever seen?

Sadly in June 2023, it was announced that the series would come to a close with the finale of Season 3. It was a season that leaned so heavily into ego and satire, that the heavy dose of magical realism almost seemed sane. Why did The Other Two get canceled? We know it had nothing to do with Brooke (Heléne Yorke) and Cary Dubek (Drew Tarver), the greatest fictional sibling duo since the twins from The Shining.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it would appear the good times stopped rolling on The Other Two due to “multiple staff complaints about creators and showrunners Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider over the course of the production.” However, per the outlet’s sources, “there is no causal connection between the complaints and the decision to end with Season 3.”

A series insider told the outlet that Kelly and Schneider were often the subject of HR complaints due to questionable behavior on set and in the writers room. Accusations include instances of Kelly verbally abusing writers while Schneider sat by and did nothing, often sanctioning said behavior.

Things came to a head when a formal investigation looking into Kelly and Schneider was launched, which resulted in both being banned from set for an undetermined period of time. They were eventually “formally cleared of wrongdoing and allowed to return.” The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Kelly and Schneider for comment, but neither responded. Max also declined to comment about these rumors.

Schneider and Kelly are both former writers on Saturday Night Live, which is probably what prompted a rather snide call-out from Tina Fey. In March 2023, Fey was accepting the PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award when she said, “Nobody indulges writers like Lorne Michaels … Lorne you have unleashed an army of monsters into the world. You know it, I know it, and the crew of The Other Two knows it.”

In a joint statement obtained by Variety when the series’ cancellation was announced, Schneider and Kelly said, “It is bittersweet to say goodbye to the Dubek family after three seasons, but we always knew, both creatively and personally, that this was where we wanted to end their stories.” They added, “And because we are quite literally out of ways to humiliate Drew Tarver, so what’s the point.” The co-creators also thanked the amazing people with whom they worked.