Jon Bernthal’s Remake Series Canceled After Just One Season
Jon Bernthal's remake of American Gigolo is one of a few series that has been cut by Showtime.
Showtime is cleaning house this week with no series being safe from the network’s ax. According to Deadline, the small-screen reimagining Let the Right One In, the un-aired Three Women, and the Jon Bernthal-led televised reboot of American Gigolo have been canceled. And, if you’re wondering what that sound is, it’s the collection of millions of middle-aged hearts shattering around the globe.
The show was a retelling of the Paul Schrader-helmed and Richard Gere-led 1980 crime drama of the same name. While the film centered around a male escort named Julian Kay (Gere) who was framed for murder, the series took a departure with ex-convict Julian (Bernthal) just coming out of the can after serving 15 years behind bars for a set-up murder. In the Jon Bernthal-led version of American Gigolo, audiences catch up with the freed Julian as he attempts to find out who framed him while also picking up the pieces of his shattered life.
From the jump, bringing audiences the Jon Bernthal-led American Gigolo has been a production dotted with major inner turmoil with a multitude of creatives coming and going since the project was first announced in 2016. Neil LaBute (Nurse Betty) originally picked up the pen for the series with producer David Hollander (Ray Donovan) signing on as showrunner. But, when Hollander was accused of misconduct, he was given the boot with David Bar Katz stepping into his place.
Just a few weeks later, Bar Katz would leave the production with Nikki Toscano and Russell Rothberg taking control. With leadership constantly changing, it was hard for Jon Bernthal and the rest of the cast and crew involved with American Gigolo to keep the production on track, with the decision eventually being made to drop it from 10 episodes to eight. Although it boasted a lineup that included Wayne Brady, Rosie O’Donnell, Lizzie Brocheré, Gretchen Mol, and Leland Orser, it seems that nothing could keep the series above water, with Showtime canceling it after only one season.
And, while The Punisher star Jon Bernthal is certainly bummed to hear that he’ll be losing the paycheck that American Gigolo provided, the actor can’t be too upset after having a stacked docket over the last few years. In 2021 alone, Bernthal appeared in five films including the critically acclaimed King Richard and HBO’s The Sopranos prequel feature, The Many Saints of Newark. This past year saw the actor starring in hit television series such as The Bear and We Own This City along with the Lena Dunham-directed comedy feature, Sharp Stick.
As for what’s up next for the actor, Jon Bernthal won’t be letting the cancellation of American Gigolo get him down, with the performer currently filming Ava DuVernay’s feature-length drama adaptation of the novel Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilderson. For Caste, Bernthal will be joined by a stellar call sheet that includes Niecy Nash-Betts (Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), Aunjanue Ellis (Men of Honor), Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring franchise), Nick Offerman (The Last of Us), Jasmine Cephas Jones (Hamilton), and Connie Nielsen (Gladiator). A release window for Caste has not been set at this time.
