‘Girls on the Bus’ canceled after one season on Max

“The Girls on the Bus” doesn’t go around and around. Variety has learned that Max has canceled the political drama after just one season.

“While Max will not be moving forward with a second season of ‘The Girls on the Bus,’ we are grateful to have worked with the immensely talented Amy Chozick, Julie Plec, Rina Mimoun, as well as the teams at Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television,” Max said in a statement. “We are so proud of this powerful story of found family and the celebration of journalism, in all its forms. We thank them and our unparalleled cast for all their incredible work and collaboration.”

Thus ends the show’s long journey to the screen. It was originally set up at Netflix with a series order in 2019, but was reportedly dropped by that streamer after production was postponed due to the pandemic. It then moved to The CW for development in 2021 before landing at Max (then HBO Max) with a series order in 2022.

The show is inspired by co-creator Amy Chozick’s experiences as a political reporter on the campaign bus with multiple presidential candidates. It followed four reporters – played by Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, Natasha Behnam and Christina Elmore – through their lives on the campaign trail. Brandon Scott, Griffin Dunne, Mark Consuelos and Scott Foley also appeared in the series.

Chozick and Julie Plec co-created the series and also served as executive producers. Rina Mimoun served as executive producer and showrunner. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman are executive producers through Berlanti Productions, while Marcos Siega is also executive producers. Jesse Peretz director produced and directed the pilot. In addition to the leading role, Benoist was also a producer. Warner Bros. Television, where Berlanti Productions has an overall deal, was the studio.