Why won't there be a Big Mouth season 9?
It's time to say goodbye to the zany animated hit – but the characters could live on.
Big Mouth is coming to an end with its eighth season on Netflix, despite being one of the streaming platform's longest-running and most consistent hits.
The series, co-created by and starring Nick Kroll (The Franchise), follows a group of school pupils as they attempt to understand the changes that puberty brings, implementing plenty of rude and surreal humour to explain the process.
Big Mouth has proven to be a hit across age groups, with some reports of teachers using it as an educational resource for teenagers, while adult fans simply delight in being past that tumultuous stage of life.
Despite the praise it has received, including four Emmys for Maya Rudolph's voice performance (and several more nominations), Big Mouth won't be returning for season 9 on Netflix.
If you're disappointed, here's what co-creator Kroll had to say about the difficult decision.
Why won't there be a Big Mouth season 9?
Big Mouth co-creator Nick Kroll has explained that he and his collaborators decided to end the show with its eighth season, in order to reflect the finite nature of adolescence and the inevitability of growing up.
The writer and comedian went so far as to say that it would be a "disservice" to the very point of the programme if they attempted to keep their characters frozen in time indefinitely – an alternative path that The Simpsons is currently pushing to its limits.
Speaking to The Wrap, Kroll explained: "We didn't ever think this was a show that should go on forever... The themes of adolescence and change — it would be a disservice to continue telling these stories with no end because this is a moment in time in your life.
"We always knew that and wanted to not diminish the characters by keeping them stagnant. It’s been gratifying to try to complete those stories."
By entering your details you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
That said, Kroll appeared to hint at the possibility of a sequel series further down the line, teasing that there is "ample opportunity" to revisit the Big Mouth characters "in different ways at different times" – such as later stages of their life, presumably.
On that note, the co-creator added that while it's a "scary thing" to change the dynamic of the show by having the characters age, it also provided "new stories that continue to innovate on what we were doing".
Therefore, while a potential Big Mouth sequel would have to drop the show's trademark puberty-based humour, it could find fresh gags to mine from university experiences, adult relationships, career woes or even parenting, among other more mature themes.
Big Mouth seasons 1-8 are available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
