Max cancels Tokyo Vice

To be fair, the decision sounds pretty amicable between the streamer and series creator J.T. Rogers, who thanked the streamer for its patience

Max cancels Tokyo Vice
Ken Watanabe and Ansel Elgort Photo: James Lisle/Max

In his review of the (much slower, more confident) second season of Max Japanese crime series Tokyo Vice, our own Matt Schimkowitz wrote that “This is a show preparing an audience for the long haul.” Well, uh, not so much: Max revealed today that the series, which starred Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe as guys trying to get the (apparently infinite) bottom of the underworld of modern-day Tokyo, has now been canceled after its second season.

This is per Variety, which notes that the decision does, at least, seem fairly amicable between Max and series creator J.T. Rogers, with confirmation of the series’ end coming while Rogers was sharing space with the streamer’s execs during a panel about the show in Los Angeles today. From the sounds of things, Rogers and his co-creators knew two seasons was roughly what they were getting when they signed on for the project, with the first season ending on a series of massive cliffhangers, and the second having a bit more resolution. (Max also apparently granted the show two extra episodes in its second season to “land the plane,” which, in the world of TV cancellations, is ridiculously generous.)

That being said, Rogers made it clear that he does hope to one day revisit this particularly shady look at Japanese life, saying in a joint statement with his co-producers that “We know there is more story to tell. Of course we’ll see what the future holds, but we are indeed grateful to have been able to share this story on Max until now.” Meanwhile, Max issued its own “sorry it’s over, let’s work together again some time” press statement, saying that, “From Tokyo Vice’s richly written material to the gorgeously composed shots to the lived-in performances, the care and creativity of this enormously talented cast and crew shines in every frame of the show.”

 
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