Getting another hit show after starring on one for 10 years tends to be no easy feat. But, after the not-so-great reception that Joey received, Matt LeBlanc is having quite a run on the Showtime series Episodes. Now, though, it looks like that run is coming to an end, as Episodes will only have one more season to get under its belt.
Season 5 of Episodes is due to start filming next week in London, and will hit Showtime in 2017. Variety reports that Season 5 will be the last for the entertainment industry comedy. Showtime just confirmed the final season, but there has been speculation that the show would be ending soon since Matt LeBlanc tweeted last December that they would be shooting one more season of the show.
Episodes is a British/American comedy that focuses on a British husband and wife writing duo, Sean and Beverly Lincoln (Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig), who come to the US to remake their successful television show. The couple soon realizes that making the show they want is going to be far more difficult than they imagined, with interference from network executives and the constant drama introduced because of the show’s star, Matt LeBlanc.
That’s right, Matt LeBlanc plays a version of himself on Episodes; a whoring and arrogant, yet charming version of himself. TV Matt only takes the job on Sean and Beverly’s show for the money, and has very little interest in the show they are actually producing. This also happens to be the case for Sean and Beverly, especially once it becomes obvious that the show they’re working on is clearly going to have next to no resemblance to their original creation.
Season 4 ended with the cancellation of their show rescinded by the network, leading Sean and Beverly to return to Los Angeles after flying home to London. Matt was about to take a job on another show that he really believed in, but when his former series is renewed, he can’t take the opportunity, and is left to work as a host on a popular game show called The Box. The down side to the game show’s success is that people have quickly forgotten that he’s actually an actor. Meanwhile, the Lincolns are forced to work for Sean’s former writing partner, who happens to be terrible at running his TV series.
Episodes does an amazing job of skewering Hollywood and the people who work in the industry, and getting big laughs from the ridiculous (and probably all too true) situations that their characters find themselves in. The show has gotten mostly positive reviews from critics, and the series has received 19 award nominations since it began. Matt LeBlanc has been nominated for four Emmys for his performance, and won a Golden Globe in 2012.
Until Episodes returns in 2017, be sure to check out our summer TV schedule for some shows to keep you entertained while you wait.
