“Shocked, Heartbroken & Frankly, Baffled”


Hulu’s comedy series How to Die Alone has been canceled after a one-season run. Starring Natasha Rothwell, the series followed Mel, a JFK International Airport employee unfamiliar with love, whose life changes after a near-death accident. From Disney’s Onyx Collective, the show has an impressive 91% Rotten Tomatoes score, won the Independent Spirit Award for ensemble cast in a new scripted series, and has been nominated for three NAACP Image Awards.

Per Variety, Onyx Collective has canceled How to Die Alone after its first season, despite its high marks from critics and its accolades. Rothwell has released a statement to the outlet, saying she’s “shocked, heartbroken and frankly, baffled.” Sources close to the studio said that the reason for the cancelation was due to the series’ viewership not being enough to warrant another season. Rothwell did indicate, however, that she is shopping How to Die Alone to other platforms. Her full statement is below:

I am shocked, heartbroken and frankly, baffled that Onyx has decided not to move forward with a second season of “How to Die Alone.” This is a tough reality to accept because the show is an undeniable critical, creative and award-winning success.

This show took me eight years to bring to life, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in that time, it’s resilience. I’m not giving up. My team and I are committed to finding “How to Die Alone” a new home because stories like this matter.

Now more than ever, television that amplifies previously unheard voices, and that prioritizes hiring and casting decisions that accurately reflect the diversity of the world, is essential. Representation isn’t just about visibility — it’s about ensuring that our stories, our existence and our cultural contributions are not erased.

As Maya Angelou so wisely said, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

We are rising. And we are not done.

What This Means For How To Die Alone

Viewership Is The Lifeblood Of Television Shows

Onyx Collective first gave How to Die Alone a series order back in November 2022, well before its September 2024 premiere. Upon its debut, it received a hopeful critical reception and went on to win the Independent Spirit Award for its talented ensemble. However, good reviews and awards aren’t enough to ensure a series’ renewal. Like how films with franchise aspirations need to do well at the box office to secure a sequel, television shows need to earn a sufficient viewership to make a second season possible.

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Hulu’s How to Die Alone, unfortunately, did not measure up in terms of viewership. A look at the series’ Rotten Tomatoes score from fans provides some insight. While it did score high with viewers — it has an 83% score from audiences — only 50+ ratings were submitted. For a quick comparison, another Hulu series from 2024, Only Murders in the Building season 4, earned 500+ ratings. This juxtaposition possibly reflects the lack of awareness toward How to Die Alone. Fans of the series, however, shouldn’t give up entirely, as Rothwell’s efforts to revive the series might succeed.

Our Take On How To Die Alone’s Cancelation

It Deserves A Revival

Natasha Rothwell clinking glasses with somebody in How to Die Alone

As both creator and star of How to Die Alone, Rothwell excels and shows that the series does in fact deserve a continuation of its satirical and profound exploration of life and death. The television industry’s heavy reliance on viewership and seeming disregard for shows with high potential, proven by solid critical reception and accolades, can be frustrating.

That aside, viewership does reflect and reveal just how many people are interested in an IP and provide an objective stat on how well a series is performing, so the reasoning behind such moves is understandable. That doesn’t, however, take away from the success Hulu’s How to Die Alone saw in its short run, so I do hope that Rothwell’s efforts to revive the series find success.

Source: Variety

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