Picture: Netflix
First ordered by Netflix in July 2021, we’ve had two seasons of the adult-animated comedy series Chicago Party Aunt, but will we be getting more episodes? It looks like the series has quietly ended, but Chicago Party Aunt still lives on away from Netflix.
Based on a Twitter account run by Chris Witaske, Chicago Party Aunt followed the antics of a usually drunken Chicagoan called Diane, who’s loud, inappropriate, and a big partier.
The series featured the voices of Lauren Ash, Rory O’Malley, Witaske himself, Bob Odenkirk, and Jon Barinholtz.
Chicago Party Aunt Not Expected to Return for Season 3
In case you’re unfamiliar with animation, you usually find that Netflix (and other studios, for that matter) give large upfront orders of episodes because of how production differs from live-action scripted shows.
That was the case here, with 16 episodes ordered upfront that would be split across two parts (or seasons, as we’re referring to them). The first eight episodes dropped in September 2021, and the second season a year later in December 2022. In the press release for season 2, there was no mention of it being the final season.
Will the show return to Netflix for a third season, then? It looks unlikely.
We’ve been digging into the CVs of dozens of people who worked behind the scenes on Chicago Party Aunt either at Titmouse or Netflix Animation, and all have moved on to other projects, suggesting the show has ended after it exhausted those initial episodes.
In fact, most of the work on seasons 1 and 2 looks to have been completed by the middle to end of 2021.
As a result, we suspect that Netflix opted not to renew the show for any additional seasons in 2021/2022. Given the show hasn’t been officially canceled, it’s likely the show is among Netflix’s “ghost-canceled” series that remain in limbo indefinitely.
Twitter Account for Chicago Party Aunt Remains Active
Despite all this, the main Twitter account on which the show is based is still very much alive and kicking, occasionally Tweeting out some quippy remarks, talking about Chicago landmarks or public figures, and even often replying to those praising the show:
You’re welcome, sweetie. https://t.co/gNZyS3RZb9
— Chicago Party Aunt (@ChiPartyAunt) June 30, 2023
How well did Chicago Party Aunt perform on Netflix?
Much like Netflix’s other output in the animated sitcom space in recent years, no shows have really become big Netflix hits with the exception of Big Mouth and Bojack Horseman.
The show has only ever featured in the daily top 10 lists in four countries, with it only featuring in the US top 10s for three days across its two seasons.
Reviews weren’t particularly strong either from critics or IMDb, with it sitting at a 5.6/10 at the time of publishing. The Michigan Daily put out a scathing review at the time of publishing, stating:
“The Chicago Party Aunt Twitter account thrives because of its short, comedic tweets that allow followers to form their own picture of the woman behind the handle. Ultimately, Netflix fell short when it came to executing the new animated series: The jokes don’t hit, the storyline is nonexistent and the main character is difficult to relate to.”
Are you disappointed it doesn’t look like Chicago Party Aunt is returning for a third season?