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Last year, a series called Black Cake was released on Hulu and Disney based on the New York best-selling book by Charmaine Wilkerson. The murder mystery thriller ended its first season after the finale debuted on December 6, 2023. Following the conclusion, there were some hopeful updates regarding the second season.

A snippet from Black Cake | Credits: Hulu

However, a year later, reports have been rife that the series won’t return for another season. Though the news is not surprising, as it’s been 10 months since the show’s first season ended, the reason isn’t quite valid. In this article, we will explain why the second season got canceled.

Why did Black Cake get canceled after season one? A snap from Black Cake | Credits: Hulu

The decision to cancel the show came a few months ago. As per Deadline, Netflix was among the original streaming platforms for the project that...

Hulu is not proceeding with a second season of its original drama series Black Cake, starring Adrienne Warren and Mia Isaac. The news is not surprising as it’s been 10 months since Season 1 ended its run on the streamer.

This marks a formal resolution for the series, from Women of the Movement creator Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey‘s Harpo Films and Aaron Kaplan‘s Kapital Entertainment, whose fate had been sealed for months. It didn’t necessarily have to be — I’d heard chatter that Netflix was interested in picking up the acclaimed drama but the inquiry didn’t go far as program relocations from one major streamer to another are very rare — and complicated — in the era of streaming wars.

Netflix had been among the original suitors for the project, which landed at Hulu in 2021 after a bidding war.

Based on the book by Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake has a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes,...

“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.

Disney+ has unveiled the official trailer ‘Black Cake,’ an adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s best-selling novel of the same name.

In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey 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 present-day California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett, loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children, Byron and Benny, a flash drive that holds previously untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America. These stories, narrated by Eleanor, shock her children and challenge everything they thought they knew about their family’s origin.

The series is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting, from Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. The story takes place in Jamaica,...

Hulu’s adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut, “Black Cake,” delves into the intricate roots of a mysterious family tree. It skillfully navigates the journey of a family unraveling the complex and often tragic past of their mother, Eleanor Bennett, following her demise.

Eleanor (portrayed by Chipo Chung) passes away in Southern California, leaving behind a history unknown to her family, including her estranged daughter Benny (played by Adrienne Warren from “The Woman King”) and ambitious son Byron (Bashy from “Top Boy”). Eleanor’s will discloses an audio recording filled with long-buried secrets. Benny and Byron, not on the best of terms, discover a note instructing them to share a small black cake in the freezer when the time is right.

The series draws its name from a Caribbean dessert, reflecting its own intricate history. Like the tale told in “Black Cake,” this dessert, soaked in rum and laden with fruits,...

And with its final installment, we have our answer about who killed Little Man.

The intricate story of Covey comes to its conclusion on Black Cake Season 1 Episode 8. But the finale does a decent job of leaving the series open-ended so that this presumed mini-series could expand into another season.

And with the critical acclaim, it wouldn't be surprising if Black Cake got a renewal.

There's undoubtedly more to this bold series to explore. While there's indeed some form of closure on Coventina/ Eleanor Bennett's story, there are so many threads and different directions this series can go in if it so chooses.

Covey's children have their entire lives ahead of them, and at least two of them have the makings for compelling stories to explore.

And, of course, the series could easily maintain its time-jumping, non-linear storytelling if it opts to pursue different angles and perspectives from other important characters in Covey's life.

Lest we ever forget it for a moment, Mia Isaac is a tour de force.

She has this innate ability to pull you in the second she appears on screen, and that's largely why following Covey's journey during the flashbacks is inarguably the series at its strongest and best.

As a result, Black Cake Season 1 Episode 7 was one of the series' best installments, as it mirrored the Black Cake series premiere in centering young Covey again and pushing the present-day characters to the fringes as needed.

It also marked closure regarding the audio tapes and Covey/Eleanor Bennett telling her children her story.

She's gotten her life story out. With all of its twists, turns, complications, and secrets of her choice, she places the ball in her children's court to do with that information what they desire.

What's promising about her final message to them is that it at least...

Mabel Mathilda makes everything better.

Listen, if we have to spend time in the present with the Bennett siblings, it works best when we get more exciting aspects, such as the two meeting their biological sister for the first time or Byron's relatable candor with a dash of Benny not being as annoying as usual.

And thankfully, Black Cake Season 1 Episode 6 delivered on that.

It doesn't hurt that we got a dash of Covey and saw how flawed and short-sighted she was as a best friend.

Covey's complexities make this story compelling, so any opportunity to revisit her is always welcomed. And did we mention that Mia Isaac is magic? Yeah, we did, but let's repeat it anyway.

On the flashback front, we glimpse some of the tension between Covey and Bunny as best friends because of Covey's attempt to "protect" Bunny from her homosexuality.

Times were different, and as Eleanor Bennett recounted these days,...

It was an hour that centered the most on the Bennett women.

We've experienced so much of Covey's story in the past that it was time to focus a bit on the family narrative closest to the present.

Black Cake Season 1 Episode 4 shifted much of its focus to giving us more insight into Benny and what happened that fateful Thanksgiving, which changed everything.

By the end of the hour, it was evident that the Bennett women are alike and have a knack for holding onto secrets and carrying the weight of their choices.

The installment also introduced us to peripheral but narratively influential characters with the Bennett siblings' spouses, Steve and Lynette.

We got to know Covey well enough, so it made sense that the story would branch into another direction so we could gain some traction on the Bennett siblings and flesh them out.

Even after delving into Benny's...

Emma Corrin and Harris Dickinson in ‘A Murder at the End of the World’ (Photo Credit: FX)

Hulu’s 2023 winter slate of films and TV series includes the debut of A Murder at the End of the World starring Emma Corrin, season three of the Wild Crime documentary series, and season two of Life & Beth. Brawn: The Impossible Formula One Story, narrated by Keanu Reeves, and The Secret Life of Dancing Dogs with canine handlers also join Hulu’s lineup this winter.

The streaming service’s announcement covers November 2023 through March 2024 premieres.

Hulu 2023 Winter Series Lineup:

Black Cake – November 1, 2023

Based on The New York Times-bestselling book by Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting. The story takes place in Jamaica, Italy, Scotland, England and Southern California. In the late 1960s, a runaway...

“Black Cake” showrunner Marissa Jo Cerar and director Natalia Leite agree that the launch of the series’ first three episodes at once will enhance the audience’s curiosity and keep them watching the show.

Adapted from the bestselling book by Charmaine Wilkerson and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, “Black Cake” tells the generational story of Covey (Mia Isaac), who has to abandon all traces of her life in order to escape her Jamaican island home in hopes of a better future. The story begins with Covey’s children, who only know their mother by the name “Eleanor Bennett” (Chipo Chung). She’s a woman who grew up in an orphanage in London before moving to Southern California’s Orange County with her husband Bert. Upon the death of their mother, Covey’s son Byron (Ashley Thomas) and daughter Bennedetta — who goes by “Benny” (Adrienne Warren) — reunite after years apart to...

On November 1, 2023, Hulu released the first three episodes of “Black Cake,” a new series based on the New York Times bestselling book by Charmaine Wilkerson. The streamer describes it as a murder mystery with a diverse cast and a global setting, taking place in Jamaica, Italy, Scotland, England and Southern California. Early reviews are positive, scoring it at a perfect 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes from six critics.

Eleanor Bennett (Chipo Chung) loses her battle with cancer, leaving her children a flash drive that holds untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America; the stories shock her children and challenge everything they know about their family’s origin. The ensemble cast includes Mia Isaac, Adrienne Warren, Faith Alabi, Ashley Thomas and Glynn Turman. Read our full review round-up below.

See Thanks to Meryl Streep, this Golden Globe category could see first comedic winner in 13 years

April Prince of Black Girl Nerds writes,...

Hulu has a vast library of content, with basically something to watch for everyone, and today we are making a list of the best new shows and movies coming to Hulu in November 2023 that you can watch right now. The shows and movies in this list are ranked according to their availability dates.

Black Cake Season 1 (November 1)

Synopsis: Based on The New York Times-bestselling book by Charmaine Wilkerson, “Black Cake” is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting, from Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, and Aaron Kaplans’ Kapital Entertainment. The story takes place in Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England and Southern California. Cerar wrote the adaptation and serves as showrunner on the series, which spans decades. In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared...

Families are complicated, and everyone has a story.

It's one of many summations one concludes upon tuning into the first three installments of Black Cake.

The series is adapted from the New York Times Bestselling novel by author Charmaine Wilkerson, with an impressive cast led by the incredible Mia Isaac.

Black Cake is an ambitious and tall order, as most book-to-series adaptations tend to be, and whether or not it lives up to the refinement and greatness of the novel is left up to those who are most familiar with the book.

In that sense, Black Cake is a series that feels tailor-made specifically for those familiar with the source material, and if you fall outside the scope of that, there's a solid chance that you'll have some struggles following along with the series.

This globe-trotting, timeline-hopping, perspective-shifting family drama is undoubtedly unique.

It also taps into and makes a...

Do you know everything about your family’s past? Byron and Benny think they’re all caught up on family history, but when they get a flash drive from their recently deceased mother, their perceptions of her and themselves are forever altered. That’s the premise of “Black Cake,” the new series coming to Hulu on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The more Byron and Benny learn about their mother’s past, the deeper they’re forced to go. You can watch Black Cake: Season 1 with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu.

How to Watch ‘Black Cake’ Premiere When: Wednesday, November 1, 2023 Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu. 30-Day Free Trial$7.99+ / month hulu.com About ‘Black Cake’ Premiere

The roots of “Black Cake” lie decades back, in 1960s Jamaica. A bride named Covey disappears into the surf along the coast, leaving a host of unanswered questions about her recently murdered husband.

Since the pandemic, Black female-driven content with universal appeal has found a home on Hulu. Stepping away from the cliched stories that have too often defined others’ efforts, each new project from the streamer, be it “The 1619 Project” or the recent “The Other Black Girl,” grows increasingly more ambitious. “Black Cake,” produced by Oprah Winfrey, pushes the boundaries even further by centering on a biracial, immigrant woman’s experience.

Adapted from Charmaine Wilkerson’s New York Times-bestselling novel of the same name, the sweeping eight-episode family drama from showrunner Marissa Jo Cerar revolves around a Jamaican Chinese woman who has lived an epic life spanning various parts of the globe. The problem is: Her past has been kept hidden from her children. Only through a flash drive of audio recordings played after her death do they learn that they know very little of her story. As their mother unravels her life from the grave,...

Is the first week of November the official start of the holiday season? An endless stream of internet polls affirming or disputing that assertion could be presented as evidence, but some TV providers like Hallmark Channel and Lifetime have decided there’s no reason to wait for November to start showing Christmas-themed original movies.

Spooky Season revelers still have a couple of days left to enjoy in October before the wait for next Halloween begins, including some terrifying movies and shows heading to streaming this week. There’s a great selection of new content streaming every day until Sunday, so check out your top options below!

Monday, Oct. 30 World Series Game 3, Texas Rangers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks | Fox, stream with a five-day free trial of Directv Stream

This prospect might not be all that frightening to any except non-baseball fans. but it’s still a great way to spend a crisp October evening.

We all keep things to ourselves, secrets that, if brought to light, could harm — or even shatter — us or those we love most. While many people have only a few personal confidences tucked away in their hearts, others envelop themselves in a lifetime of lies to survive. Based on Charmaine Wilkerson’s New York Times best-selling novel and adapted for television by Marissa Jo Cerar, “Black Cake” is an eight-episode odyssey stretching from Jamaica’s shores to Scotland’s glens. The series tells one young woman’s story of survival and perseverance whose circumstances and choices reverberate into her children’s lives a generation later.

A beautiful and gutting mystery drama led by rising star Mia Isaac, “Black Cake” is a thoughtful tapestry of what we conceal so we might remain whole. The show opens in the dark of night in the late 1960s. Covey (Isaac), a distressed 17-year-old girl,...

We all need something to watch during the month of being thankful for what we have that isn't just the game on Thanksgiving. Now that the cold weather is starting to settle, it's only going to get chillier from here. Let's give thanks to our streaming services for providing us with new shows to watch as well as streaming our personal favorites. After all, what better way to spend time with your family than indulging in brand-new original shows with a delicious homey dinner?

Hulu has a lovely lineup of new series to watch, and they are all beautifully different. Some are based on popular novels, some are continuations of content from the past, but all of them are jampacked with drama. Get ready to stream new material that will feel like classics with the timelines and settings. Let's journey back in time a bit for a few of these shows.

How well do we really know the people we love?

Hulu tackles that question and more in another book-to-screen adaptation with the genre-bending, time-spanning family drama Black Cake,

Hulu released the trailer for the series, making its debut on November 1.

The first three installments will premiere on that day, followed by an episode a week until it concludes.

Black Cake is a series based on the New York Times Bestseller of the same name written by author Charmaine Wilkerson.

The novel was featured in Oprah's Book Club and thus is brought to us by Marissa Jo Cerar from Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions and Aaron Kaplan of A Million Little Things and The Chi's Kapital Management.

The series is a family drama and murder mystery and spans the globe, following a story that takes viewers from Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England, and Southern California.

The series follows Covey, a young runaway bride...

"For the rest of my life I'm gonna keep looking over my shoulder." Hulu has unveiled an official trailer for a mystery thriller series titled Black Cake, created by Marissa Jo Cerar. Adapted from the novel of the same name written by Charmaine Wilkerson. Two estranged siblings delve into their mother's hidden past—and how it all connects to her traditional Caribbean black cake—in this immersive family saga. A drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting, from Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films, and Aaron Kaplans' Kapital Entertainment. A young runaway bride named Covey disappears in the shore in Jamaica in the late 1960s, under unknown circumstances or reasons. Fifty years later in California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett, loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children, Byron and Benny, a flash drive that holds previously untold stories of...

Hulu released a trailer for its upcoming adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s novel “Black Cake” on Monday.

The generational saga, which comes from showrunner and executive producer Marissa Jo Cerar, combines a murder mystery with family drama. The first three episodes of “Black Cake” release Nov. 1 on Hulu. After the premiere, new episodes will release every Wednesday through Dec. 6.

“I’m sorry. Don’t hate me,” Adrienne Warren’s Benny says as she rushes into an office where her brother Byron (Ashley Thomas) already sits waiting for her. “I had car stuff and then I couldn’t find my keys.”

“You don’t get to just blow in here acting like you care all of a sudden,” Thomas’ Byron responds coldly.

“I’m not acting,” Benny replies. “Ma’s dead.”

“Read the will, please,” is all Byron says in return.

Based on The New York Times-bestselling book, “Black Cake” sets...

Exclusive: Chipo Chung and Anthony Mark Barrow have joined the cast of Black Cake, a family drama in the works for Hulu that’s based on the book by Charmaine Wilkerson.

Chung will play Eleanor Bennett, who leaves behind a series of recordings after losing her battle with cancer. Her stories chronicle her journey from the Caribbean to America that shock her surviving children, and challenge everything they thought they knew about the woman who raised them. Chung will be a series regular.

Barrow will recur as Clarence “Little Man” Henry, the head of a powerful family in Jamaica in the 1960s who is feared and respected by the Island community.

Black Cake is described as a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery. The story takes place in Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England and Southern California. Here’s the official logline: In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey...

Exclusive: Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) and Sonita Henry (Krypton) are joining the cast of Black Cake, Hulu’s drama from Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment.

Turman will play Charles Mitch, a successful lawyer in Newport Beach, Calif. whose top priority is to honor the final wishes of his dear friend and client Eleanor Bennett after she loses her battle to cancer. As Charles works with Eleanor’s family to complete her requests, he is persistent to keep the family together while simultaneously working through his own private grief. Turman is a series regular.

Henry will recur as Mabel Martin, a well renowned food expert, who enjoys a successful and quiet life with her son and her beloved parents. When her world is upended by a shattering revelation, she’ll be forced to question everything she has believed about her family,...

Lashay Anderson (Rebel Cheer Squad) and Faith Alabi (Industry) have been cast as series regulars opposite Adrienne Warren, Mia Isaac and Ashley Thomas in Hulu drama series Black Cake, from Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. Additionally, Ahmed Elhaj (Grantchester) has been tapped for a recurring role in the project.

Based on the book by Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery. Cerar wrote the adaptation and serves as showrunner on the series, which spans decades.

In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey (Isaac) disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared drowned or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder. Fifty years later in California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children, Byron and Benny, with a flash...

Exclusive: Mia Isaac (Don’t Make Me Go) has been cast as the lead in Hulu drama series Black Cake, from Women of the Movement creator Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. Up-and-comer Isaac is joining Tony winner Adrienne Warren in the project, written by Cerar based on the book by Charmaine Wilkerson.

Black Cake is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting that spans decades. The story takes place in Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England and Southern California.

2022 Hulu Pilots & Series Orders

In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey (Isaac) disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared drowned or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder. Fifty years later in California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children,...

Exclusive: Adrienne Warren is set as a lead in Hulu drama series Black Cake, from Women of the Movement creator Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. Andrew Dosunmu (Where Is Kyra?) has been tapped to direct the pilot episode of the project, which landed at the Disney streamer with a straight-to-series order last fall.

Black Cake, based on the book by Charmaine Wilkerson, marks a reunion for Warren with Cerar, Kaplan and Disney following their collaboration on Women of the Movement. Warren starred as Mamie Till-Mobley in the ABC limited series, which was created by Cerar and produced by Kapital.

Hulu Pilots & Series Orders

Cerar serves as showrunner on Black Cake, a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting that spans decades. The story takes place in Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England and Southern California.

“Black Cake,” a family drama-murder mystery series from Oprah Winfrey and ABC’s “Women of the Movement” creator Marissa Jo Cerar, has been ordered to series at Hulu, TheWrap has learned.

The show, which is based on the upcoming book of the same name by Charmaine Wilkerson, will be written by Cerar, who will also serve as showrunner.

Here’s the official description for the “Black Cake” novel, courtesy of publisher Penguin Random House:

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking journey Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child,...

Exclusive: After a heated bidding war, Hulu has landed the drama Black Cake, from Women of the Movement creator Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment with a series order.

Based on the upcoming book by Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting. The story takes place in Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England and Southern California.

Cerar, who played a key part in putting the project together, will write the adaptation as part of her overall deal with Kapital and will serve as showrunner on the series, which spans decades.

In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared drowned or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder. Fifty years later in California,...