EXCLUSIVE: After a long journey through broadcast, cable and streaming that has seen him defy the odds on multiple occasions, Nasim Pedrad’s acclaimed coming-of-age comedy series arrives Chad comes to an end. A spokesperson for Roku Chanel released Chad’s second season confirmed to Deadline that the streamer will not be moving forward with future seasons.
Roku had originally signed on to pick up the finished but unaired second season of Chad (along with the Season 1 reruns), so a Season 3 was seen as a long shot but a possibility. This no longer happens, officially ending the show’s wild ride.
ChadThe origins date back more than eight years SNL Graduate Pedrad began developing the comedy for Fox. The network picked up the half-hour series, starring Pedrad as Persian-American teenager Chad Amani, as a pilot in February 2016.
Fox ultimately abandoned the pilot, which meant certain death for most projects Chad found a new life with a series order at basic cable network TBS. After a strong ratings debut that was the #1 new scripted cable comedy series of 2021, Chad — which was also praised for breaking racial stereotypes with an authentic portrayal of immigrant life and Middle Eastern Americans — has been renewed for a second season.
The new season was completed and planned, and trailers were already running on TBS, when the series became caught up in the cost-cutting content write-offs following the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger that impacted most of TNet’s scripted programming.
Season 2 was canceled, but Pedrad and the other producers were allowed to purchase it and eventually ended up on streamer Roku. Roku saw another major shakeup last fall, largely removing original and licensed programming content. Chad survived that too, as the second season debuted on January 19th on the Roku Channel.
“8 years, 3 channels, 1 great show that I am deeply proud of. I’m excited for what’s next,” Pedrad said in a statement to Deadline.
ChadThe second season of Chad (Pedrad) revolves around Chad’s (Pedrad) second year of college, which brings a number of new challenges for the 15-year-old. His newfound popularity is in jeopardy, his friendship with his best friend Peter (Jake Ryan) is tested, and his preadolescent attention is captured by a new crush, all while Chad continues to grapple with his cultural identity.
Pedrad served as creator, writer, executive producer and showrunner of the single-camera comedy. Oliver Obst, Rob Rosell, Max Searle and Rhys Thomas also executive produced.