The Other Two Is a Perfect Pick for Meta TV Fans

The Other Two Is a Perfect Pick for Meta TV Fans

This was my first watch of The Other Two, and I think for anyone who is a fan of meta TV, this is a perfect pick. The series follows two floundering millennial siblings, Brooke and Cary Dubek, who have to deal with their 13-year-old brother Chase’s overnight fame as a viral YouTube singer known as ChaseDreams. It ran for three seasons and 30 episodes.¹

The People Behind It

The Other Two was created, written, and executive produced by Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, former SNL co-head writers.² SNL promoted the pair to co-head writers ahead of season 42, and they left at the end of that season. Comedy Central commissioned their pilot in March 2017.³ Lorne Michaels and Andrew Singer of Broadway Video are executive producers, and Broadway Video produced the series alongside MTV Entertainment Studios. Jax Media is credited on season 2 and Above Average on season 3.² ⁴

From Comedy Central to HBO Max to Max

The Other Two premiered January 24, 2019 on Comedy Central.¹ In 2020 it moved to HBO Max, along with South Side, as Comedy Central shifted away from live-action scripted shows.⁵ Season 1 debuted on HBO Max as a Max Original in April 2021, and season 2 premiered August 26, 2021.² HBO Max renewed the show for a third season a day after the season 2 finale.⁵ Season 3 premiered May 4, 2023, and the service was renamed Max that year.⁴ ⁶ It switched back to HBO Max on July 9, 2025, though the Max Originals label is still used.⁶ ⁷

I did not see a change in writing or production value between the Comedy Central seasons and the HBO Max seasons.

The Cast

The main cast is Drew Tarver as Cary, Heléne Yorke as Brooke, Case Walker as Chase, Ken Marino as Chase’s manager Streeter, and Molly Shannon as the siblings’ mother, Pat.¹ This role was made for Molly Shannon. Josh Segarra, Wanda Sykes, and Brandon Scott Jones recur in season 3.⁸

The guest list is stacked with SNL names and more. Season 1 guests included Michael Che, Heidi Gardner, Beck Bennett, Andy Cohen, Greta Lee, Julio Torres, and Patrick Wilson.⁹ Season 3 brought in Simu Liu, Edie Falco, Ben Platt, Dylan O’Brien, Lukas Gage, Kiernan Shipka, Ann Dowd, and Dana Delany.¹⁰

A Satire of Celebrity Culture, and a Show About Ambition

The show is a satire of celebrity culture, and it definitely takes aim at people like Justin Bieber and how they evolve in the industry. Kelly and Schneider got a front-row seat to the child star turned troubled former child star arc when Bieber hosted SNL at 18, and that experience helped inspire the show.¹¹ ¹² The creators have been careful about the comparison, though. They say Bieber is not the basis for ChaseDreams, and that the story is really about his siblings.¹¹ ¹³ Chase is also written as a sweet, likable kid rather than a brat, which only complicates his siblings’ resentment.¹²

The show also makes important points about ambition. My favorite character is Brooke, because of her wanting to be doing something important and then realizing that she wants to be doing something meaningful instead. According to WBD’s season 3 release, season 2 earned a Critics Choice nomination for best comedy series.⁴

How It Ended

In June 2023, just ahead of the season 3 finale, it was announced that the series would end after three seasons. Kelly and Schneider said they always knew that was where they wanted to end the Dubek family’s story, and Deadline reported they had run out of ways to humiliate Tarver.¹⁰ Rolling Stone corrected its original headline to say the show was not canceled and that the creators chose to end it.¹⁴ The Independent, meanwhile, framed it as a cancellation by the streamer.¹⁵

The Hollywood Reporter reported that the ending came after multiple staff complaints about Kelly and Schneider during production. The allegations were that Kelly verbally abused writers and overworked crew, and that Schneider enabled his behavior. According to THR’s sources, the production opened a formal investigation, and the two were kept off set for a period. THR also reported that they were formally cleared of wrongdoing and allowed to return, and that several insiders said there was no causal connection between the complaints and the decision to end the show.¹⁶ One source told THR the show’s writers’ rooms had a reputation that other writers traded stories about like ghost stories.¹⁶ Another insider suggested the frustration came from the pair not being on camera, noting they started as improvisers.¹⁷

THR also pointed to a March speech by Tina Fey at the PEN America Literary Awards, in which she joked that Lorne Michaels was partly responsible for how the pair was conditioned during their SNL years. THR read it as a nod to the allegations.¹⁸ Kelly, Max, and MTV Entertainment Studios declined to comment to THR, and Schneider could not be reached.¹⁹ No coverage I found ties the ending to the Max rebrand.

I think they could have done more seasons, but they did a good job wrapping up the story and giving some resolution for viewers.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, “The Other Two,” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Other_Two
2. WBD Press, “Season Two Of Max Original THE OTHER TWO Debuts August 26 On HBO Max,” press.wbd.com/us/na/media-release/hbo-max/other-two/season-two-max-original-other-two-debuts-august-26-hbo-max
3. Wikipedia, “Sarah Schneider,” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Schneider
4. Bell Media (WBD release), “Season 3 of the Max Original Comedy Series THE OTHER TWO Debuts May 4,” bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/season-3-of-the-max-original-comedy-series-the-other-two-debuts-may-4/
5. The Hollywood Reporter, “HBO Max Renews ‘The Other Two’ for Season 3,” hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/hbo-max-renews-other-two-season-3-1235020299/
6. Variety, “Max Will Change Back to HBO Max on Wednesday,” au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/hbo-max-returns-max-name-change-24742
7. The Hollywood Reporter, “Why HBO Is Rebranding Everything,” hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/why-hbo-is-rebranding-everything-max-cinemax-1236361365
8. WBD Press, “Season Three Of The Max Original Comedy Series THE OTHER TWO Debuts May 4,” press.wbd.com/us/ca/media-release/max/season-three-max-original-comedy-series-other-two-debuts-may-4
9. Promax, “Comedy Central teen pop star The Other Two,” oldbrief.promax.org/article/comedy-central-teen-pop-star-the-other-two
10. Deadline (via Yahoo), “‘The Other Two’ To End With Season 3 At Max; Creators Say ‘This Was Where We Wanted To End Their Stories,’” ca.news.yahoo.com/other-two-end-season-3-210000433.html
11. The Ringer, “YouTubers Have Family Drama, Too: The Intergenerational Charms of ‘The Other Two,’” theringer.com/2019/01/24/tv/sarah-schneider-chris-kelly-the-other-two
12. Den of Geek, “The Other Two Review (Spoiler Free),” denofgeek.com/tv/the-other-two-review/
13. The Daily Beast, “‘The Other Two’ Roasted Justin Bieber and Became TV’s Funniest Millennial Comedy,” media.thedailybeast.com/the-other-two-roasted-justin-bieber-and-became-tvs-funniest-millennial-comedy/
14. Rolling Stone, “‘The Other Two,’ the Funniest Show on TV Right Now, Ending After Third Season,” rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/the-other-two-max-series-canceled-1234780327/
15. The Independent (via Yahoo), “The Other Two to end at Max after three seasons following alleged complaints about show creators,” malaysia.news.yahoo.com/other-two-end-max-three-073338308.html
16. The Hollywood Reporter, “‘The Other Two’ Ending at Max Amid HR Complaints,” hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-other-two-canceled-at-max-1235525619/
17. Just Jared (quoting THR), “‘The Other Two’ to End With Season 3, Toxic Workplace Allegations Made Against Series Creator,” justjared.com/2023/06/28/the-other-two-to-end-with-season-3-toxic-workplace-allegations-made-against-series-creator/
18. The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Edition, June 29, 2023, hollywoodreporter.com/dailyedition/29-06-2023/1235525887/
19. Paste Magazine (summarizing THR), “The Other Two Ends Abruptly After Staff Complaints Against Its Creators,” pastemagazine.com/comedy/the-other-two/the-other-two-ends-hr-complaints