HBO cancels Gentleman Jack

Gentleman Jack is no more this week, as Deadline reports that the HBO series has been canceled after two seasons on the air. Co-produced by BBC One, and showrun by Sally Wainright, the series aired its second season finale—which will now have to stand as the capstone on its true story of a sexually liberated lesbian smashing her way through Regency era England—a few months back.

The series starred Suranne Jones as Anne “Gentleman Jack” Lister, a British industrialist whose coded diaries, detailing her extensive romantic endeavors despite the stigma against homosexuality in 19th century England, serve as inspiration for the series. Her primary co-star was Sophie Rundle, playing Ann Walker, with whom Lister would eventually have what is considered the first lesbian marriage in the U.K. (Spoilers, we guess, for a now-canceled show. And also history.)

Like many shows, Gentleman Jack ran into difficulties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic; although it picked up a renewal for a second season pretty much the moment it began running in the U.S., the show didn’t manage to air that second season until this year.

HBO issued a statement about the cancellation today, noting:

HBO will not be moving forward with a third season of Gentleman Jack. When we began this journey more than five years ago, we knew the series’ creator Sally Wainwright had a uniquely compelling vision, and it’s been tremendously gratifying to see how Anne Lister’s journey has resonated with viewers. We are incredibly grateful to Sally, to the impeccable Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle, and to the entire cast and crew for bringing Anne and Ann’s story to life. We’d also like to thank our partners at BBC and Lookout Point for their collaboration on two remarkable seasons.

In addition to Jones and Rundle, the series co-starred Joe Armstrong, Amelia Bullmore, and Rosie Cavaliero.