‘Black Cake’ Canceled After 1 Season at Hulu

The generational saga was based on Charmaine Wilkerson’s novel of the same name

Covey (Mia Isaac) and Bunny (Lashay Anderson) in "Black Cake"(James Van Evers/Hulu)

“Black Cake” won’t be returning for a second season at Hulu.

The streamer has opted not to renew the series, based on Charmaine Wilkerson’s novel of the same name, for a second installment. The news comes just under a year after “Black Cake” debuted in November 2023.

Taking place across Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England and Southern California, the generational saga centers on a runaway bride named Covey (Mia Isaac), who disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared drowned — or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder in the late 1960s, according to the official logline.

Her story is uncovered 50 years later in California when widow Eleanor Bennett (Chipo Chung) loses her battle with cancer and leaves her two estranged children, Byron (Ashley Thomas) and Benny (Adrienne Warren), a flash drive that holds previously untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America.

Marissa Jo Cerar served as showrunner for “Black Cake” and executive produced the show alongside Oprah Winfrey, Aaron Kaplan, Carla Gardini, Brian Morewitz, Charmaine Wilkerson and Michael Lohmann. “Black Cake” was produced by Two Drifters, ABC Signature, Harpo Films and Kapital Entertainment.

As the series rolled out last fall, Cerar told TheWrap that she initially “pitched three seasons,” saying “there’s so much story” to tap into beyond the first season’s storylines.

“It’ll be very clear when you see the finale that we’re opening it up for more story because the way we structure the series is different than the way the book is structured — as most adaptations are,” Cerar said. “But her story, Mabel’s, we’ve barely scratched the surface of her journey in Season 1, and her story is so rich, and I’m so excited to give it its due in a proper Season 2 if we get a Season 2.”

The news also comes hours after Kerry Washington revealed that Hulu’s “UnPrisoned” would be ending with its second season.

“This beautiful show that we poured so much of our hearts and souls into is unfortunately not coming back for a Season 3,” Washington wrote in a Friday social media post. “But I wanted you to hear it from me because while we’re super duper disappointed, we’re also crazy deeply grateful.”

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