After 23 episodes of unbridled chaos, American Auto hinted at a welcome reprieve in the closing moments of its second season. With Payne Pika pre-orders taking the internet by storm, the executives’ job insecurities were summarily banished—but unfortunately, so was the show itself when NBC elected not to renew it earlier this month.
As fans reeled from the news, a petition sprang up that called for the show to be shopped to other networks. Before you dismiss the idea of American Auto season 3 ever coming to fruition, consider this: The list of fan favorites that found new networks after cancellation includes Scrubs, Lucifer, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I mean, it can’t hurt to try, right?
With that in mind, here are five reasons we need American Auto season 3.
1. Ana Gasteyer
American Auto season 1 begins with Katherine Hastings (Ana Gasteyer) taking the helm at Payne Motors after accepting an eye-popping offer that includes a cool $20 million in stock options. Katherine—who hails from the notoriously amoral pharmaceutical industry—isn’t exactly a sympathetic character, yet Gasteyer imbues her with such an endearing vulnerability that you ultimately can’t help rooting for her. (I dare you to watch American Auto 2×12, “Dealer Event,” without softening at Katherine’s Xanax-fueled conversation with Daphne the rabbit.)
To put it simply, Gasteyer is a criminally underrated living legend, and however she tackles a hypothetical American Auto season 3 will not only be a privilege to watch but an outright honor.
2. The ensemble
While Gasteyer’s the undisputed star of the show, every member of the talented ensemble cast deserves the chance to shine in American Auto season 3. For instance, we all know that chief product designer Cyrus (Michael Benjamin Washington) is gay, but his sexuality has heretofore only been mentioned in passing. In season 3, I’d love to see Cyrus flirting, dating, or grappling with the unwelcome realization that a guy he’s been seeing is simultaneously courting a newly divorced Katherine…
3. The ships yet to sail
Factory worker Jack (Tye White) and chief communications officer Sadie (Harriet Dyer) had a one-night stand shortly before the American Auto pilot—but although they hooked up again in season 2, the ship never fully got off the dock. Could Jack and Sadie have a future together? Only American Auto season 3 has the answer.
Elsewhere in the fandom, a small but loyal band of Katherine/Sadie shippers spent the past two seasons delighting in the complexities of the two women’s dynamic. While this particular pairing probably isn’t in the cards for American Auto season 3, new episodes would provide additional fodder to shore up sapphic headcanons nonetheless.
4. The untold stories
According to executive producer Justin Spitzer, American Auto season 3 “was going to show Katherine Hastings and Payne Motors finally finding success and taking the world by storm.” Needless to say, this opens the door for all manner of hijinks. As Gasteyer told Vulture earlier this year, “I can imagine someone like Katherine running for office or supporting the wrong candidate or wanting to write a book. I also think there’s fun stuff to do with her screwing up at women-in-leadership conferences.”
…I don’t know about you, but I need a Katherine Hastings keynote speech more than I need air.
5. The relatability factor
Let’s face it, the workplace is a hellscape. If the office politics don’t kill you, whatever’s growing in the communal fridge surely will. By and large, members of the sitcom-viewing public love to see their suffering repackaged as entertainment—and few people know that better than Spitzer, who created Superstore and wrote several episodes of The Office. From their tightly written dialogue to their impressive timeliness (remember the AI and abortion storylines?), American Auto‘s 23 episodes consistently delivered 10 pounds of dynamite in a five-pound bag. There’s no reason to think that American Auto season 3 would break with tradition.
American Auto seasons 1 and 2 are available on Peacock; American Auto season 3 does not exist (yet).
Sign the petition to shop American Auto to other networks here.
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