HBO has confirmed today that they have picked up the Mike White/Laura Dern lead comedy Enlightened for a second season. Despite being critically lauded, the show hasn’t gained as much traction with audiences as is generally expected of an HBO show. Nevertheless, it earned two Golden Globe nominations last week for both best comedy series and best actress in a comedy series (Dern).
Despite most of its shows drawing a similar range of viewing figures, they have rarely factored into the cancellation decision making process with the cable giant, as is evident by the longevity of David Simon’s New Orleans drama Treme, which will be going to its third season this year.
That drive for quality programming over ratings wasn’t quite enough to save three other comedies however, as Hung, Bored To Death and How To Make It In America all received their marching orders today along with the good news for Enlightened. Hung and Bored To Death are ending their runs after three seasons; How To Make It In America after just two. There will be no gaps in the schedule however, as several new half-hours are coming to the network later this year.