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Natasha Rothwell’s ‘How to Die Alone’ Canceled After One Season

How to Die Alone won’t be returning for a second season. Hulu has officially canceled the comedy series, created by and starring Natasha Rothwell, after just one season.

The show followed Mel (Rothwell), a broke, fat, Black JFK airport employee who had never been in love and had lost sight of her dreams—until a near-death experience forces her to finally take charge of her life and start living on her own terms.

Rothwell, who also served as co-showrunner alongside Vera Santamaria, didn’t hold back in her response to the cancellation.

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

She’s not wrong. The series recently won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series and is up for two NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.

Despite the abrupt cancellation, Rothwell isn’t giving up on the show’s future.

“My team and I are committed to finding How to Die Alone a new home because stories like this matter,” she wrote.

The series, which also starred Conrad Ricamora, Jocko Sims, and KeiLyn Durrel Jones, was produced by ABC Signature in association with Rothwell’s Big Hattie Productions. Bashir Salahuddin had a recurring role, while Desiree Akhavan also served as an executive producer.

Originally ordered by Onyx Collective in 2022, How to Die Alone premiered in September 2024. Now, its fate rests on whether another network or streamer sees the value in keeping it alive.

Rothwell’s full statement underscores just how much this show means—not only to her but to the broader landscape of television.

“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.”

As she channels the wisdom of Maya Angelou—“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated”—Rothwell makes it clear that the story of How to Die Alone isn’t over yet.

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