Paramount Plus renews, then cancels, one of its highest-rated original shows

Why Women Kill
(Image credit: Paramount)

Why Women Kill, an original Paramount Plus series that flew under the radar despite proving a hit with viewers, has been cancelled – just months after being renewed for a third season.

"Paramount Plus has made the difficult decision not to move forward with Season 3 of Why Women Kill," a Paramount Plus spokesman said in a statement to Variety. "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." A third season was originally commissioned in December 2021.

Why Women Kill was an anthology series that revolved around a series of scandalous events, all of which led to infidelity and death across three separate decades. The first season featured the likes of Lucy Liu and Alexandria Daddario and scored 95% on Rotten Tomatoes with audiences. The second season was only slightly less successful by that metric, scoring 87%. 

This isn’t the first time a popular series has been canned after a season was greenlit. Netflix infamously canceled women’s wrestling drama GLOW mid-COVID outbreak after production on a fourth season was shut down.

The Paramount Plus streaming service has now launched in the UK, and all eyes are on a potential Top Gun: Maverick streaming release date. Recent reports have suggested that any decision on shortening the usual 120-day theatrical window for the release (which has grossed over $1.1 billion at the box office) will rest on star Tom Cruise’s shoulders.

For more from Paramount Plus’ biggest shows, be sure to read our reviews of Picard season 2 and the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiere.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.