With Friends widely regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, other shows have naturally attempted to fill the void since the series finale was released in 2004. Some of the contenders since then have included How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, and The Big Bang Theory. While these three shows all aired on network television, the emergence of streaming has brought plenty of other challengers as well, although most of them do not get anywhere near the 10 total seasons that Friends had.
Variety now reports that Hulu has canceled Not Suitable for Work after just one season. The sitcom, which was created by Mindy Kaling, is centered on five workaholic friends in their twenties living in Manhattan's Murray Hill neighborhood, which naturally led to many comparisons with Friends. Warner Bros. TV, which produced the show, intends to shop it to some possible new streaming homes.
Not Suitable for Work released all nine episodes on June 2. As indicated by the 54% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics were mixed on it, but the audience reception was much more favorable, leading to an 82% Popcornmeter score.
The main cast featured Ella Hunt, Avantika, Will Angus, Jack Martin, Nicholas Duvernay, and Jay Ellis. Some of the recurring guest stars were Victor Garber, Greg Germann, Judy Gold, Ego Nwodim, Harry Richardson, Constance Wu, Laura Bell Bundy, May Hong, Bhavesh Patel, Emilia Suárez, and Michael Benjamin Washington.
Along with creating the show, Kaling was an executive producer alongside Charlie Grandy, who served as the showrunner. This was the first series with The Office star as the sole creator since The Mindy Project, which lasted for six seasons, with the first three releasing on Fox, and the final three releasing on Hulu, proving to be a hit in the streamer's earlier years. She is credited as a co-creator of Netflix's Never Have I Ever, HBO Max's The Sex Lives of College Girls, and Netflix's Running Point, the last of which is heading into its third season.
Despite the positive comparisons to Friends, Not Suitable for Work being canceled after a single season is indicative of a larger issue for sitcoms and streaming originals. Many of them do get an opportunity to go beyond one season, even when received well, and do not get the time that Friends, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, and previous sitcoms had to grow their audience.
This is also not the first sitcom Hulu has canceled after one season within the past year. On September 29, 2025, it was revealed that the streamer had canceled Mid-Century Modern starring Matt Bomer, Nathan Lane, Nathan Lee Graham, and Linda Lavin in the final role before her death. The show even performed much better with critics than Not Suitable for Work did, landing a "Certified Fresh" 89% Tomatometer score. Kaling's show may not be completely done, though, as long as Warner Bros. TV finds a new streaming home for it.
All episodes of Not Suitable for Work are now streaming on Hulu.
Release Date
June 2, 2026
Network
Hulu
Showrunner
Charlie Grandy
Cast
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Avantika
Abhinaya 'Abby' Chilukuri
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Jack Martin
Josh Teitelbaum
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Nicholas Duvernay
Kel Washington
English (US) ·