If you’ve been a fan of ‘Peep Show’, it would be no news to you that this sitcom ended mostly because it had run its course. While that seems like no old news for shows that have run as long as this one did, there were many other factors that made the creators believe it was time to bid goodbye.
With numerous awards in hand and a big fan base that swears to never quite hope for a revival, ‘Peep Show’ coming to an end was a reality nobody was ready to face. If you’re still curious to know all the reasons why the sitcom ended, this article is for you.
Highlights —
- The El dude brothers were getting old
- The ratings weren’t doing the network any good
- Fans did not want a new season or a remake.
The El dude brothers were getting old
Mark and Jeremey aka “The El Dudes” have been known to be the epitome of a Bromance. From being former college buds to living life together as adults, the audience has seen it all. While Mark is a socially awkward loan manager, Jeremy is quite the talentless wannabe musician who has no aspirations to be employed and also turns out to be spiteful from time to time.
According to “Screenrant”, Jez and Mark have got to be 27/28-years-old in the first season of ‘Peep Show’. By the end of season 9, the characters were celebrating Jeremy’s 40th birthday. This 12 years timeline has certainly given fans a glimpse at what getting old looks like. In my opinion, the showrunners made the right decision to not continue this British series. Nobody would’ve liked watching two old dudes figuring out their everyday life while also attending to possible midlife crises.
In an interview with “Express.co.uk”, lead protagonist Robert Webb reveals why the show had to end. “There was still a sense that this used to be a show about people in their late 20s sharing a flat. It just becomes a different joke, it’s a different show”, he exclaims.
The ratings weren’t doing the network any good
With all the jokes and mind-warping acts that were presented in its unique point of view shots, the series was once critically acclaimed for being a cult television show. Back in 2007, “The Guardian” described it as the “best comedy of the decade”. However, it wasn’t all a bed of roses during season one of the show. If sources claim correct, the series was not receiving the ratings it was meant to. Which is why the network even considered cutting the cord after season 4.
Despite the low ratings and stationery viewership, the show was renewed for a fifth season. The sole reason for its resurrection was said to be for a variety of reasons, including again the high DVD sales of the previous series, the rising popularity of Mitchell and Webb due to the success of their BBC sketch show ‘That Mitchell and Webb Look’, their numerous advertisements for Apple, and their feature film ‘Magicians’.
Fans did not want a new season or a remake
Tragically, the comedy and POV shots that made the show a hit didn’t last too long as fans were no more excited to know what was next in-store. Certain posts online suggest that the American audience doesn’t quite get the quintessential British humour.
In case you haven’t heard already, there is a US version of the series in the making, only this time it will be women playing the lead characters. As this news was broken out to the fans of the OG show, there was a backlash that did not support this idea. “Don’t want to be one of those ppl that’s like, ‘female-led things can never be good’ but I legit cannot comprehend how the female-led American Peep Show will work? Like, if it’s just two American disaster females then Broad City already exists? We don’t need 2 fuck with Peep Show”, tweeted a fan.
Another fan tweet read, “Why are we remaking Peep Show with an all-female cast? Keyword; “remaking”? Why not write new and interesting stories that are led by women instead of rehashing old dated shit??”
So, whether it is a reboot or a remake, fans are bound to get disappointed. If you’ve watched the last episode of the series, you might agree with me when I say that the ending was 100% disappointing.
Are you content with the season finale? What do you think about the female-led remake? Do you think the show ended for good? Let us know in the comment section below.
