“Flight of the Conchords” is a 2007 New Zealand comedy set in New York City’s Chinatown. Despite its immediate success, it was concluded after only two seasons. In a time now where well-received shows are being canceled after only one season, one would assume the same thing happened with this show. It was not the producers who pulled the plug on this hidden gem, but the actors and writers themselves. Bret McKenzie, who plays Bret, and Jemaine Clement, who plays Jemaine, mutually decided to end the show after the second season, even saying they had to tell their agents to not tell them how much they would make from another season to ensure they wouldn’t be compelled to continue for the money. The duo found the making of the show to be too exhausting and anxiety-inducing and simply weren’t enjoying making the show. Many fans were and continue to be devastated by this, as being left with two seasons is no fun; luckily, these two seasons are filled to the brim with creative story lines and jokes. One can also imagine if the writers and actors aren’t into it anymore the show won’t continue to be as enjoyable to watch either.
Despite being known as a cult classic, I’ve found many people have never even heard of this show, much less seen it. Both McKenzie and Clement seem to be uninterested in fame, and are quite successful at remaining unknown while also reaching many accomplishments in the industry. Clement has been nominated for many awards including Emmys, Writers Guild Award, Producers Guild Awards and won the Toronto International Film Festival-People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award. McKenzie won an Academy Award as well as a Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Song. Despite their accolades, they both manage to stay away from the public eye while also creating wonderful music and entertainment for the world. They do however occasionally tour as a comedy singing duo, which their show is based on in the first place. Their most recent tour being in 2016, was very successful despite their show ending nine years prior at the time, and not due to an old trick of performing at a small venue so as to sell it out.
Despite my love for this show, I would argue that its end at two seasons was for the best. If the actors and writers are no longer into it, the final product will not be as high in quality. I also find that two seasons of completely high-quality television is better than ten, where eight of which are created by people who are uninterested and stressed out. As Jemaine says, “Two minutes in heaven is better than one minute in heaven.” I will also say that I am perfectly content rewatching the same two seasons of this show because of how unique and funny it is.
What separates “Flight of the Conchords” ending early as compared to other well-received shows that were canceled early, is that the budget for “Flight of the Conchords” could be much lower. “Flight of the Conchords” is a low budget show, which is part of why it’s appealing and adds to the humor. A new, creative and well-received show that also costs very little to make is a producer’s dream, so it’s no surprise they wanted to continue the show. Now, we see many well-received shows that are canceled after just one season despite having a fan-base that wants the show to continue. An example of this is “I Am Not Okay With This,” a Netflix show that premiered in 2020, and featured a cast of up and coming young actors. While well-received and having a large audience hoping for a second season, the show was canceled due to its high cost.
The show “Freaks and Geeks,” which also lasted only one season, was canceled because of the budget, as well as the time slot which placed the show’s air time at 8 p.m on Saturdays, not an ideal time if you want your show to have a big audience. Similarly to “Flight of the Conchords” however, all of these shows are enjoyed now and some even considered cult classics despite being so short-lived. “Freaks and Geeks,” although canceled for different reasons than “Flight of the Conchords,” had a pretty similar situation. While most are familiar with many of the actors in “Freaks and Geeks” now, most of them were completely unknown at the time and were just getting their start. This is the same as “Flight of the Conchords”, not only are the main characters played by unknown actors, but many of the jokes center around a country that people were relatively unaware of, as shown in the show. “Flight of the Conchords” managed to use what would otherwise be detrimental to a show trying to gain popularity, to make it special in its comedy. Low-budget shows like “Flight of the Conchords” or “Freaks and Geeks” may be canceled seemingly too early, considering their fresh approaches to television as a way to work around the lack of money, but their uniqueness lives on long past their final episodes. As fans of shows like these we can appreciate what there is, however limited, rather than wallow in the disappointment that there won’t be more. Personally, I’m just happy there’s any episodes at all.