Comedian Leanne Morgan and the legendary veteran writer-producer Chuck Lorre are teaming up for Leanne Season 2 (as reported via Deadline). The sitcom stars Morgan as the titular lead alongside notable cast members like Emmy-winner Kristen Johnston and Ryan Stiles.
The series revolves around a woman who sets out to reclaim her life after being abandoned by her husband for another woman. Like most Chuck Lorre productions, the show boasts a strong premise and has a compelling storyline, but unlike most of his shows, the show drowns under overdone and saturated character tropes.
Netflix Pulls Back on Cancellation Policy With Leanne Season 2
Netflix had built a hard-boiled reputation for its ruthless and calculated cancellations of shows that were popular among audiences. These shows failed to project enough return within a certain time and were thus considered unprofitable from a business standpoint. Series like Warrior Nun and First Kill recorded some of the loudest fan backlash after their cancellations.
As such, it is surprising that Leanne wasn’t given a similar cold shoulder at the streamer despite not performing as well as other shows. Typically, at Netflix, a series spends nearly five to six weeks on the global Top 10 before it is granted a renewal order. In contrast, Leanne lasted only 2 weeks, peaking at No. 6 with 2.8M views.
Whatever foresight went into Netflix’s decision to renew the sitcom, one can only hope the streamer disperses such judgments judiciously in the future for other popular and promising shows as well.
Does Leanne Deserve a Renewal After Struggling in the Global Top 10?
Chuck Lorre has always had a discerning eye for comedy. Known as the King of Sitcoms, Lorre has churned out such gems as The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, and The Kominsky Method, among others. As such, when a stand-up concert inspired him to build a whole show around Leanne Morgan, who would think to refuse?
His sitcoms have been so successful that even their spin-offs have spin-offs (TBBT to Young Sheldon to Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage). So, it’s not surprising to see Netflix readily roll out its Season 2 carpet for the series. But even Lorre is allowed to hit a roadblock once in a while.
Leanne is not as funny as one would like a sitcom to be, as moments of pathos are undermined by one-tone laughter tracks, and most of the jokes fail to land well. The pilot feels painfully drawn out due to its inability to impress the audience as well as Morgan did when she performed on stage at her shows.
Instead, the viewers are left with a constricted performance that mirrors the constraints of a staged act and the lack of a live audience.
Below is a table of the main cast of Leanne and their respective characters on the show:
| Cast | Character |
|---|---|
| Leanne Morgan | Leanne |
| Kristen Johnston | Carol |
| Celia Weston | Margaret |
| Tim Daly | Andrew |
| Ryan Stiles | Bill |
| Hannah Pilkes | Josie |
| Blake Clark | John |
| Jayma Mays | Mary |
Did you find Leanne Season 1 to be as interesting as other Lorre productions? Let us know in the comments below.
Leanne Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.
