Why MTV Canceled Bo Burnham’s Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Well-known

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So far as musical comedians who rose to prominence within the web period go, it is robust to seek out yet another beloved than Bo Burnham. Greater than only a man who can craft a humorous, catchy tune, he has asserted himself as a downright sensible inventive (along with being a hilarious one). Sadly, one among his first inventive endeavors in Hollywood after rising to stardom on YouTube, an MTV present titled “Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Well-known,” had a really brief life, premiering in 2013 and lasting only one season on the community.

The sequence centered on Zach Stone (Burnham), a younger man who, after graduating highschool, decides to skip going to varsity and as an alternative try to turn into well-known with no expertise in anyway, by any means vital. Burnham, regardless of being in his early 20s on the time, not solely headlined the present, however he additionally co-created it with Dan Lagana, on high of serving as one among its govt producers and writers. Chatting with The Hollywood Reporter on the time, a consultant for MTV had this to say concerning the cancelation:

“We’re big followers of Bo Burnham and your entire inventive and proficient workforce behind ‘Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Well-known.’ After cautious consideration of many elements, we now have in the end determined to not transfer ahead with an extra season of the sequence. We want Bo, the forged, and your entire manufacturing crew the perfect.”

So, what have been these elements? The factor that was true then and stays true now’s that networks rely upon rankings to justify the expense of a given present, and “Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Well-known” was not a rankings monster by any stretch of the creativeness. The sequence launched with simply 650,000 viewers and, after shifting round to a number of completely different time slots, noticed its viewership dwindle from there. Now-beloved exhibits have been canceled with higher rankings, with Fox’s “Scream Queens” serving as one instance. Granted, the bar for cable was typically decrease than it was for community exhibits within the pre-streaming period, however all the identical, MTV did not have sufficient motive to danger viewership dwindling even additional with a second season.

“The cancellation provides a pleasant little bit of poetry to the arc of the ultimate episodes, as Zach finds himself working out of cash and presumably shedding his beloved cameras (and present) perpetually,” Burnham stated on the time in a letter to his followers (through The Comedian’s Comedian). Talking additional, Burnham declined to touch upon why the present did not discover its viewers, however he wished to clarify that he did not need to blame it on the sequence’ supposed viewers:

“I do not suppose MTV’s viewers is dumb. I do not suppose younger folks basically are dumb or silly or shallow. I like my technology. I actually do. I imagine that the ‘web technology’ … may be very misunderstood and underestimated. What many older folks dismiss as my technology’s brief consideration spans, I see as younger folks starvation for density, demanding that each second of fabric that you simply give them is worthy of their time. This problem, although daunting, is an effective factor. It pushes artwork ahead.”

Finally, Burnham did handle to create artwork that resonated with audiences. His 2021 Netflix particular “Inside” was met with near-universal reward. He additionally wrote and directed the much-acclaimed 2018 film “Eighth Grade” for A24 and has selectively appeared in films as an actor, together with “Humorous Folks” and “Promising Younger Lady.”

Greater than a decade later, one would possibly marvel: Might a “Zach Stone” revival ever occur? In his letter after the cancellation, Burnham cited Lisa Kudrow’s “The Comeback” as a terrific single season present earlier than it was later revived by HBO. He acknowledged the present was lifeless at MTV however may need a future elsewhere:

“Is ‘Zach Stone’ over perpetually? At MTV, I believe so. However who is aware of? When making the present, I had type of thought/sensed that it might be a one season present (like Lisa Kudrow’s ‘The Comeback’), so we made certain that this season might stand alone as its personal contained factor. However when you guys proceed to look at the present and present it to pals, it very properly could have a second life some other place.”

You possibly can hire or purchase “Zach Stone is Gonna Be Well-known” from Amazon.