Captain Ryan Clark (Laurie) helms a luxury starship owned by Herman Judd (Gad) and is in over his head when the ship goes catastrophically off course. This turns what was intended to be an eight-week cruise into an eight-year journey. Five months after the ship's failure to divert, season two follows the crew - including fiery engineer Billie (Crichlow), unpredictable head of customer relations Matt (Woods) and trusty right-hand man Iris (Nakamura) - as they struggle to lead, calm, control and, if necessary, hide from increasingly unruly passengers. On Earth they are hailed as heroes, and in space everyone can hear them scream.
The series launched in January 2020 and was renewed for a second season the following month. Production was delayed due to the pandemic, and the second season didn't premiere until more than two years after the first season ended. By then, options for the cast had long expired, making the chance of a third season seem slim at best. The lower ratings for season two probably sealed the deal.
"Going to space with Armando Iannucci has been an incredible journey," said an HBO spokeswoman. "While we are not moving forward with a third season of Avenue 5, we look forward to many more adventures together."
