Why did Pete Davidson cancel Bupkis despite a second season order? Comedian finally reveals the answer

When Pete Davidson's semi-autobiographical dramedy Bupkis premiered on May 4, 2023, on Peacock with eight episodes, viewers were eagerly waiting for its renewal. It garnered around 78% critics' score and 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It also scored 7.2 stars out of 10 on IMDb. In June 2023, Bupkis was renewed for a second season owing to its popularity, but in March 2024 came the real shocker. Davidson announced that the series had been cancelled-leaving fans quite disappointed.

Two years later, in a 2025 interview with The Breakfast Club, Davidson clarified the reason for the cancellation of Bupkis, despite loving the writers' room and working on storylines he was "comfortable" with, was the upcoming direction the show wanted to undertake after suggestions of a new collaborator. A new writer/collaborator tweaked the plots in such a manner that he had to make the tough decision.

“This new person came and was like: ‘I think Pete should be banging Martha Stewart this season, I think Pete should have more mental issues.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, but I wouldn’t do that.’ And they were like, ‘Well, Pete the character [would].’ And I was like, ‘I can’t do this.’ I was like, if I want any shot in being in real movies or being seen a certain way, I can’t just play myself all the time and be this sack."

Additionally, the Saturday Night alum admitted that he got tired of making his career all about his personal life, and it was quite traumatic for him as well:

"I canceled Bupkis and I got in trouble for it ’cause I didn’t— I love that show, I loved doing Bupkis, I had a blast. It just got to a point where I got really tired of my whole career just being my personal life, and living through that is sort of traumatic — not to be lame — but it’s traumatic to live in your own crap all the time.”

Is Pete Davidson blacklisted by NBCUniversal after Bupkis' cancellation?

It's quite normal for certain production houses to blacklist/fire a celebrity after they leave the projects midway. For instance, when Christopher Eccleston left Doctor Who after Season One, he was blacklisted by the BBC. Thankfully, NBC did not blacklist Pete Davidson over his decision to cancel Bupkis. He revealed,

“No, I think we’re cool. I talk to everyone over there now and we’re cool. There was a little time where there was some heat and it wasn’t all good … and I understand why, but it just hurt because it was a place I worked for over a decade.

Although the comedian revealed that initially, NBC was not pleased with his decision. He admitted that the abrupt end of Bupkis affected the cast and crew, but he made sure to cover the financial fallout himself.

"But, it’s funny, you work for a company for over a decade — I’m pretty sure I brought in a lot of money, worked hard on that show, was a good boy, like promoting [it] and whatnot. It made me realize a lot about the business, like hey, I’m probably gonna die if I have to keep doing this and that’s a problem.”

After Bupkis, Davidson continued to explore other opportunities. Some of his notable recent works include The Pickup, The Home, and Riff Raff. His upcoming projects include How to Rob a Bank and Wizards!

Trending

Tune in to SoapCentral for more such updates on your favorite shows, movies, and daily soaps.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback