Picture courtesy of Netflix
Catherine Tate made her grand debut on Netflix in early 2022 with a new sketch comedy series that saw Tate play multiple roles set in a British prison akin to her BBC series that put her on the map, The Catherine Tate Show. How well has the series performed and will we see a second season at Netflix? Sadly, the answer appears to be bad and no.
Arriving on April 12th, 2022, Hard Cell is a mockumentary series developed by Leopard Pictures and Catherine Tate, who plays the roles of Laura, Ros, Ange, Big Viv, Marco, and Anne Marie.
The show’s format should be familiar to any Tate fan, with the comedian best known for her BBC series, The Catherine Tate Show. Others are more likely familiar with Tate in seasons 8 and 9 of The Office or as one of the many companions in Doctor Who.
Hard Cell Season 2 Netflix Renewal Status
Official Renewal Status: Canceled in July 2023
Our Renewal Prediction: Likely cancelation.
Months after its initial, there was no official decision regarding the future of Hard Cell, although that’s the case for most debut comedy series in 2022.
However, in July 2023, Catherine Tate was interviewed on the BBC, revealing that the show had been canceled, but the people working at Netflix didn’t have the courtesy to tell her.
Tate told the Breakfast Show, “They had a change of staff and as happens when someone who has commissioned the show and then leaves, often they want to start afresh,” adding, “It would’ve been nice for them to have told me.”
The show didn’t hit the mark with critics, carrying a 20% RottenTomatoes score (albeit the audience score is 89%). On IMDb, the show carries a 6.3/10, although that’s based on less than 2,000 reviews.
Hard Cell characters – Picture: Netflix
We guessed that the show has been quietly canceled behind the scenes (or ghost-canceled), meaning it’s highly unlikely we’ll hear publicly about the show’s future.
While global top 10 data for Hard Cell wasn’t particularly promising, how did the show perform in the United Kingdom?
According to FlixPatrol, the series scored 28 points in the top 10s and featured in the UK TV top 10s for a total of 7 days.
That’s not particularly strong, and if we compare it against other British comedies, the picture looks even bleaker.
- Man vs. Bee, the Rowan Atkinson comedy miniseries, featured in 87 countries’ top 10s and in the UK for 17 days, amassing 102 points.
- Sex Education scored 318 points on Netflix’s UK TV top 10s over 47 days.
We also have exclusive data from British-based Digital i which uses panels to measure completion rates for shows (how many people got through to the end of Hard Cell on Netflix), and the completion rate isn’t good. According to their UK panel (which should have familiarity with Catherine Tate’s work as opposed to European panels), only a “measly” 31% of people managed to get through to the end.
Per previous observations, shows that don’t achieve a 50% completion rate don’t tend to get renewed.
Completion data for Netflix shows in 2022
Would you have liked to have seen Hard Cell return for a second season at Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.
