HBO is planning accordingly for its future, and the premium network has decided to end the run of one of the more subdued dramatic comedies it’s ever aired, but not right away. The hospital-set Getting On has been renewed for a third and final season, after which the doors of the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit will be closed presumably forever.
The renewal comes two months after Getting On concluded its world-building Season 2, which came to a close with a few major life events for the ladies (and Mel) of the hospice. Considering Getting On is much more of a critical darling than a massive audience grabber, its future on the network didn’t seem all that certain to me, but HBO wisely decided to bring it back for another six-episode season so that creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer can end things in style.
Season 2 of Getting On saw Alex Borstein’s Dawn experiencing both emotional and physical changes, as she discovered early on that she’s "pregnant," and then she ends up getting married to Dennis (Kurtis Bedford), the security guard. Her story should get really interesting next season. Meanwhile, it was revealed just how terrible Dr. Jenna (Laurie Metcalf) is running the hospice, and the powers-that-be could possibly put an end to the ECU that we know and love. (But probably not, given this is TV.) But DiDi better damned well get the money she’s owed, because DiDi don’t play.
Relive some of the discomfort that was Season 2 in the trailer below.
Based on the British series of the same name, Getting On is the latest of HBO’s established series to get a planned-out swan song of a season. In 2014, the network said goodbye to True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, and The Newsroom, with Stephen Merchant’s comedy Hello Ladies bowing out with a TV movie. (The reunion TV movie should come back in style.) Thankfully, HBO’s comedy slate is still full of great shows like Girls, Togetherness, Silicon Valley, Veep and more, with new series The Brink and Vice Principals coming in the future.
The main question on everyone’s minds, of course, is whether or not Dr. Jenna will finally get to do anything important with all of the fecal studying that she’s been doing. Will her shit save the planet? Find out when Getting On Season 3 hits HBO later this year.
