| Senses Lost |
| “Weeds” star on a Golden Globe Award in 2006 for her portrayal of pot-dealing suburban mom Nancy Botwin |
Showtime’s envelope-pushing television series, Weeds, will come to an end after this season, the cable network announced.
The comedy series, covering the adventures of suburban-mom-turned-pot-dealer Nancy Botwin, will conclude after eight seasons, reports James Hibberd at Inside TV. Created by Jenji Kohan, Weeds helped open the door for other daring and innovative programming, and made Showtime a force in the creation of original series.
“There were two shows, Weeds and Dexter, that really got Showtime taken seriously for cutting-edge original programming,” said Showtime Entertainment President David Nevins. “How they get brought home is really important, in this case, both for the sake of the two women [series creator Kohan and star Mary Louise Parker]and an audience that’s really invested in the show.
“TV fans love nothing better than to complain about how shows end and we really want to end this one the right way,” Nevins told Inside TV.
Kohan admitted she is “sad” about the end of Weeds, saying “sometimes ignorance is bliss,” but the writer said she does appreciate the rare opportunity to wrap up a series properly.
| TV Scoop |
| Weeds creator Jenji Kohan: “I’m so proud of what we do here and that it’s about a strong woman lead who’s really flawed” |
“I’m so proud of what we do here and that it’s about a strong woman lead who’s really flawed,” Kohan said. “We got to do comedy right up against drama, which a lot of shows don’t get the opportunity to do.”
Last season’s cliffhanger ending — an assassination attempt — will be quickly resolved, and fans can expect a time jump and a return to the suburbs, according to Kohan. Beyond that, the writer said she’s not decided how to end Nancy Botwin’s story.
“We wrack our brains every year for crazy cliffhangers and we’re trying to figure out how to top ourselves,” she said.
Premiering in 2005, Weeds helped pioneer a renaissance of edgy, adult-oriented programming that boosted Showtime and inspired similar edgy content on other networks.
Parker won a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of the pot-dealing suburban soccer mom, defeating all four Desperate Housewives leads. “I’m really in favor of legalizing marijuana,” Parker said after getting the Golden Globe. “I don’t think it’s that controversial.”
The final season of Weeds premiers Sunday, July 1, at 10 p.m. on Showtime.