Is there going to be a Special Season 3, fans ask repeatedly. Special is a Netflix show created by and starring Ryan O’Connell, based on his memoir: I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. The show is a semi-autobiographical account of O’Connell’s life as a gay man with cerebral palsy, a type of movement disorder.
The show’s 1st season came out in April 2019 with 8 episodes and received a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2nd season came out 2 years later, in May 2021, again with the same number of episodes, but this time receiving a 100% critical rating. Now fans ask whether Special Season 3 is a possibility or not. And we are here to answer.
Is there season 3 of Special?
Is there season 3 of Special?
A few months before the release of Special’s 2nd season, Netflix announced it to be the final season. The cancelation news came with expanded episode lengths for Season 2 as if Netflix was trying to make up to fans of the series. Considering the 1st season’s episodes were only 15 minutes long, episodes with 30 minutes run time were much needed, but this doesn’t take away the disappointment about the show’s cancelation.
Don’t get us wrong; we are not surprised even a little bit. Netflix rarely has originals that run for 3 or 4 seasons. Low-budget comedy series are especially destined to be canceled after a short run. The same thing happened to Trinkets (2019-2020), another Netflix show canceled after its 2nd season. The same goes for Feel Good (2020-2021).
Special Season 3 Cast
Special Season 3 Cast
We know it seems impossible for the series to return, but if a miracle was to happen and some other streaming service picked it up, we are sure the following cast members from Season 2 would have to return for Season 3:
Ryan O’Connell as Ryan Hayes: Since the end of Special, O’Connell has been playing Julian Beaumont in Queer as Folk. The actor is 35 years old and has been dating Jonathan Parks-Ramage, Los Angeles-based novelist, since 2015.
Jessica Hecht as Karen Hayes (Ryan’s mother): You may recognize Hecht from Breaking Bad, Friends, and The Boys. The 56-year-old actress married Adam Berstein in 1995 and has 2 children.
Punam Patel as Kim Laghari (Ryan’s friend and co-worker): Patel was nominated for an Emmy for her role in Special and is also known for her role in the sitcom Kevin from Work (2015). Patel does not reveal much about her relationships and personal life in general.
Max Jenkins as Tanner (Ryan’s love interest): Jenkins is known for The Mysteries of Laura (2014-2016) and High Maintenance (2016-2020). The 37-year-old actor is rumored to be dating Frank De Julio.
Patrick Fabian as Phil (Karen’s love interest): Fabian is best known for Better Caul Saul, in which he played Howard Hamlin. The actor is 57 years old and is married to Mandy Steckelberg with 2 children.
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Shows Like Special
Shows Like Special
If you were a fan of the show and think that you couldn’t get enough of the series, we have a few recommendations for shows like Special.
Please Like Me: An Australian comedy-drama, Please Like Me (2013-2016), is about a 20-something Josh (played by Josh Thomas) who, after getting dumped by his girlfriend, realizes he is gay. The show has 4 seasons with 32 episodes, available on Netflix in 36 countries.
Easy: Easy (2016-2019) is a series with an episodic anthology format meaning you don’t have to watch previous episodes to understand what’s happening in a particular episode. It follows the lives of several individuals and couples in Chicago who navigate through love, relationships, sex, and culture. It has 3 seasons with 25 episodes, all available on Netflix.
Love: Love (2016-2018) is another series we can recommend. Gillian Jacobs plays Mickey Dobbs, while Paul Rust plays Gus Cruikshank. We watch the 2 characters’ romantic relationships and their failures in them. Mickey is a love/sex addict and an alcoholic who is dishonest. Gus is awkward and has occasional outbursts when he doesn’t get what he wants. The show has 3 seasons and a total of 34 episodes. They can be streamed on Netflix.
Bonding: The last series on our recommendations for shows like Special is Bonding (2018-2021). The show follows Tiffany, a college student working as a dominatrix under the alias Mistress May. She gets the help of her gay friend from high school, who works as her assistant.
Also read: Why is Pretty Smart Canceled? – Pretty Smart Season 2 News
