After three seasons spoofing showbiz toxicity, The Other Two ends as HR complaints surface

The Other Two, a show nearing the conclusion of one of the most inventive and sharpest seasons of comedic TV in recent memory, will not be returning for another run. This isn’t another one of David Zaslav’s cost-saving measures. The show is ending where creators Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider “always knew” they “wanted to end.”

As if that weren’t already crushing news for those who loved the show, following it from its early days in the wastelands of Comedy Central to its resurgence on HBO Max, where it finally grabbed an audience, The Hollywood Reporter notes that creators Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider were the subject of numerous HR complaints, accusing Kelly of verbally abusing writers and Schneider of enabling him. Considering all the parodies of such behavior on the show, the story paints an ironic portrait of the creators. “There’s a lot of Chris and Sarah in the show,” one source said, describing them as “improvisers” and the show about “people who hungering for fame” as “their friends and colleagues became well-known.”

“It’s a lot like the show.”

The complaints spurred a formal investigation, during which Kelly and Schneider were allegedly barred from the set. Both were cleared of wrongdoing despite their behavior becoming folklore in the industry. “Writers tell stories about The Other Two writers’ rooms like other people tell ghost stories,” one source said. But it’s not like it was that secret. At the PEN America Literary Awards in March, Tina Fey hinted at this open secret, blaming Kelly and Schneider’s old SNL boss Lorne Michaels for fostering this kind of environment. “Nobody indulges writers like Lorne Michaels,” she said. “Lorne, you have unleashed an army of monsters into the world. You know it, I know it, and the crew of The Other Two knows it—oh, I was supposed to change that.”

But that’s not why the show is ending. Kelly and Schneider said they wanted to end the show with three seasons. However, speaking with A.V. Club in March, they said they were “not sure” about another season. “We have not decided yet. We could go either way. The season stands on its own, but we always could keep going. No decision.”

For now, though, they’re sticking to the three seasons explanation. “It is bittersweet to say goodbye to the Dubek family after three seasons, but we always knew, both creatively and personally, that this was where we wanted to end their stories,” Kelly and Schneider said in a joint statement. “And because we are quite literally out of ways to humiliate Drew Tarver, so what’s the point? We are deeply grateful to everyone (gays) who watched the show, to Max for giving us a second home and life, and to our writers, producers, and crew, who gave so much of their time, talent, and passion to this show over the last 45ish years.”

It is a shame to end the show amid such ugly reports. The Other Two was undoubtedly one of the funniest and wittiest comedies on TV, consistently meeting the moment with incisive observations about modern culture. That it was allegedly produced under the conditions the show lampoons is another disappointment in an entertainment landscape riddled with them.

The final episode of The Other Two airs on June 29.