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It’s official: Nickelodeon has canceled Sam & Cat.
After the Viacom-owned cable network put the Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande live-action comedy on a lengthy production hiatus in April following behind-the-scenes conflicts, it will not be moving forward with another season.
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“Nickelodeon will not be producing more episodes of Sam & Cat,” a network spokesperson tells The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. “We are very proud of the show and its very talented cast and we wish them all the best.”
A recent promo hinted at a wrap-up of some sort, promising that the show would be “going out with a bang.” Sam & Cat reruns will remain on Nickelodeon’s schedule, and creator Dan Schneider is already in production on his next series, Henry Danger, slated for a fall launch.
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Grande addressed the cancellation on her Facebook and Twitter pages Sunday afternoon. “I want to thank Nickelodeon for making a childhood dream of mine come true, for being a family to me, for being so accommodating and supportive of my multitasking with my music career, and for of course introducing me to many of my fans however many years ago,” she wrote.
Nickelodeon’s decision not to move forward with a sophomore season comes after the 21-year-old McCurdy made headlines earlier this year when racy photos of the actress leaked on the web in March. Following reported salary issues, McCurdy failed to appear at the Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards, where Sam & Cat took home the TV comedy prize, while Grande won TV comedy actress and Schneider was honored with a lifetime achievement award.
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McCurdy and Grande co-star in Sam & Cat, which was given a giant 40-episode season-one order last July after only four episodes. A spinoff of Victorious and iCarly, the series follows Sam (McCurdy) and Cat (Grande) as they become best friends and unlikely roommates who start a babysitting service.
Grande’s star power has been significantly boosted since the show began, mainly due to her successful singing career. Her 2013 debut album, Yours Truly, debuted atop the Billboard 200 charts, and her follow-up, My Everything, hits stores Aug. 25, one day after her MTV Video Music Awards debut.
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The June 8, 2013, series debut was Nickelodeon’s biggest live-action launch in three years, with 4.2 million viewers tuning in. A supersized Sam & Cat episode aired ahead of the Kids’ Choice Awards drew 4 million viewers.
For Nickelodeon, losing Sam & Cat is a big blow as the rest of its live-action portfolio, which includes Every Witch Way, The Haunted Hathaways and AwesomenessTV, does not feature stars with comparable name recognition.
Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
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