Peacock's Laid Cancellation Leaves Fans Hanging Despite Stephanie Hsu's Stellar Performance

The streaming landscape in 2026 continues to be a volatile arena for television shows, and Peacock's decision to cancel the romantic comedy thriller Laid after just one season stands as a prime example. Despite featuring an acclaimed performance by Stephanie Hsu and earning overwhelmingly positive reviews, the series met an abrupt end, leaving its dedicated fanbase with a frustrating cliffhanger and no resolution. This pattern of promising shows being axed prematurely has become an all-too-familiar disappointment for viewers who invest their time and emotional energy.

A Premise Built for Binge-Watching 😱

Laid was a unique blend of genres that immediately captured attention. The show followed Ruby Yao, a party planner played by Stephanie Hsu, whose life takes a bizarre and terrifying turn. After she begins dating a new client, a strange curse seems to activate: her past sexual partners start dying in increasingly horrifying—and often darkly hilarious—ways. The central mystery of the series became Ruby's desperate race to uncover the cause of these deaths before her new boyfriend, Isaac (Tommy Martinez), suffers the same fate. This macabre premise, mixed with sharp comedy and genuine suspense, created a hook that viewers found irresistible.

The heart of the show's appeal, however, lay in the dynamic between its lead characters. Stephanie Hsu's Ruby was perfectly complemented by Zosia Mamet's AJ, her best friend. Their chemistry was electric, providing both comedic relief and emotional grounding amidst the chaos. Their interactions felt authentic and hilarious, making them a duo audiences loved to watch. This character-driven core elevated the show beyond its sensational plot.

The Star Power of Stephanie Hsu ✨

For Stephanie Hsu, the role of Ruby was another showcase in a career defined by comedic excellence. While she gained global fame and an Oscar nomination for her dual role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, her roots are deeply planted in comedy. She began her career on stage, originating the role of Karen the Computer in Spongebob the Musical and playing Christine Canigula in Be More Chill. These roles honed her impeccable timing and expressive range.

Her transition to screen has been marked by a series of standout performances that blend humor with depth. From adding levity to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to her scene-stealing turns in The Fall Guy and Joy Ride, Hsu has proven herself a versatile and top-tier comedic actor. Casting her as the lead in a messy, hilarious rom-com like Laid was a natural fit, and she delivered a performance that was both relatable and wildly entertaining. Her ability to navigate Ruby's fear, determination, and bewilderment gave the series its emotional weight.

The Silent Killer: Lack of Marketing & Viewership 📉

The official cancellation, reported by Deadline in May 2025, was a blow to fans eagerly awaiting a second season to solve the show's central mystery. While Peacock did not provide a specific reason, industry analysis pointed to the most common culprit in the streaming era: low viewership. A critical detail was the show's absence from Nielsen's streaming rankings, a key metric platforms use to gauge a show's reach and justify further investment.

Many critics and fans argue the low viewership was not a reflection of quality, but of poor marketing. Peacock has long struggled to effectively promote its original content to a wide audience. Laid suffered from this immensely; there was minimal promotional buzz before its release, leading to a situation where even dedicated entertainment websites provided little initial coverage. This lack of visibility created a vicious cycle: a great show that nobody knew was there to watch. It's a prevailing sentiment that if a platform with more robust marketing machinery, like Netflix or Hulu, had launched Laid, it would have found the substantial audience it deserved and likely been renewed.

A Legacy of Unanswered Questions ❓

The cancellation is particularly painful because of the massive cliffhanger that ended the first season. The finale raised countless questions about the origins of the deadly curse, Ruby's connection to it, and the fate of her relationship. Fans were left completely in the dark, with no narrative closure. Compounding this frustration is the fact that the Peacock version of Laid significantly diverged from the original Australian series it was based on. Therefore, viewers cannot simply turn to the source material for answers; the story they became invested in is uniquely unfinished.

This situation highlights a growing fatigue among streaming audiences. The cycle of discovering a brilliant, quirky show, falling in love with its characters, and then having it ripped away without conclusion is disheartening. It discourages viewers from committing to new series, fearing another investment will end in disappointment. In the case of Laid, the irony is palpable: a show about mysterious, untimely deaths was itself killed off before its time.

Looking Forward

While Laid may be gone, Stephanie Hsu's star continues to rise. Her performance as Ruby remains a testament to her talent and a bright spot in the show's short history. For fans, the show joins the pantheon of beloved one-season wonders—a fleeting glimpse of what could have been. The disappointment of its cancellation serves as a reminder of the precarious nature of content in the streaming wars, where even critical acclaim and a stellar lead performance are sometimes not enough to survive without the crucial engine of viewer numbers, often determined by the platform's ability to shout about its own shows. The mystery of why Ruby's exes died may forever remain unsolved, much to the chagrin of the audience that was finally laid to rest.