Why Women Kill premiered on CBS All Access in 2019. In 2021, the dark comedy moved to Paramount+ for season 2. The niche streaming service provider seemed to have good instincts. Season 2 of the unique series was largely considered a success. It was so successful for the platform that a third season was initially greenlit. Now, rather suddenly, season 3 has been canceled. So, what exactly happened?
Why Women Kill is a dark-comedy anthology series that follows a different story each season. Season 1 of the show follows the stories of three women who lived in the same mansion during different eras. While the women are separated by decades, their stories are woven together by a common event that leads to the same outcome. Infidelity in their marriages leads to death.
Season 2 of Why Women Kill follows Alma Fillcot, a housewife. Alma is desperate to fit in with the ladies of her neighborhood and will stop at nothing to make it happen. The second season of the show is set in 1949.
Paramount+ announced a third season of Why Women Kill in December 2021. During the renewal announcement, the company was incredibly optimistic about the show. In a press release, the company noted that the original series was among the platform’s top 10 most streamed shows. Now, there has been a complete turnaround.
On July 1, Paramount+ announced that the third season of Why Women Kill will not be happening. In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson for Paramount+ said, “Paramount+ has made the difficult decision not to move forward with Season 3 of ‘Why Women Kill. We would like to thank our partners at CBS Studios and Imagine Television Studios, the amazing creator and showrunner Marc Cherry and the incredible writers, cast and crew for two memorable seasons.”
Paramount plus did not share much about the planned season before canceling it. Each season of Why Women Kill covered a different story and consisted of a unique cast. Lucy Liu, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Ginnifer Goodwin starred in season 1. Allison Tolman starred in season 2 of the series.
A spokesperson for Paramount+ spoke with Variety about the sudden cancelation of Why Women Kill, but they did not offer a concrete reason for the decision. There is some reason to believe a revenue issue might be a key factor in the decision, though.
While the streaming service provider has gained subscribers over the last several months, there hasn’t been an increase in profits. According to Barron’s, Paramount+ saw its stock price drop following its first-quarter report. While Paramount+ executives expected the lack of revenue, investors remain unimpressed. Paramount+ is not alone. In recent months, several streaming service providers have battled revenue issues and a lack of investor confidence.