Patrick Stewart’s irreverently crazy comedic television turn on Blunt Talk has been cancelled by Starz.
It appears that the comedic space vessel that is Patrick Stewart’s latest television enterprise known as Blunt Talk has been summoned back to a proverbial Starbase for decommissioning. Indeed, while the Starz sitcom showed the normally reverent veteran thespian Stewart engage in uncharacteristically whimsical, sometimes-wild behavior, the (real life) network has, bluntly, had enough.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Starz has officially cancelled Blunt Talk, which has just completed the run of its second season. Patrick Stewart played cable television newsman Walter Blunt, whose self-righteous, pretentious on-air persona contrasted with his wacky idiosyncrasies and raucously capricious behavior, living with his longtime friend, former Falklands War subordinate and manservant Harry (Adrian Scarborough), who still calls him “Major.” Walter’s equally eccentric show staff were also a focus of the series and its interwoven plots about corporate conspiracies and bizarre personal drama.
The show was the brainchild of Jonathan Ames, who had previously created HBO’s Bored to Death and also counted Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane as an executive producer. Per the statement by Starz programming president Carmi Zlotnik:
"We are grateful to Jonathan and Patrick for the tirades and laughs that Walter Blunt delivered to fans with such aplomb. While Walter may not be returning to the airwaves, we are incredibly proud of the work that was done these past two seasons by our wonderful partners and collaborators on Blunt Talk, from Seth MacFarlane and our studio MRC, to our actors, writers and crew. It was a very special show with a heartfelt message. It was an honor serving you, Major."
It’s a disappointing outcome for Blunt Talk, which was auspiciously picked up by the network in 2015 for two seasons at 10 episodes each. With former Star Trek: The Next Generation captain Patrick Stewart headlining, Blunt Talk was designed to cap off an hour-long block aimed at genre fans with Ash vs Evil Dead, the gory, irreverent television return of the Evil Dead film franchise, serving as its lead-in. However, Blunt was languishing in the ratings department, notably with the December 11 Season 2 finale (now its de facto series finale,) conjuring a scant 134,000 viewers for a 0.4 rating.
With Ash vs Evil Dead already confirmed for Season 3 back in October at New York Comic-Con, Starz is likely looking for a new 30-minute follow-up to replace Blunt Talk.