ITV has cancelled controversial sitcom Piglets after two seasons. The comedy series debuted in 2024, attracting criticism from viewers and critics alike, but was surprisingly handed a second season renewal.
The sitcom is set within a police training college, and follows six hapless new recruits and their two Superintendents. The cast was led by Sarah Parish and Mark Heap, with Rebecca Humphries and Ricky Champ also starring.
After the first six-part season aired in 2024, Piglets returned earlier this year with six more instalments, but the network has confirmed that those episodes will be the sitcom's final ones as the series has been axed.
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In a statement to Metro, ITV said: "We would like to thank all the cast and crew for their hard work in bringing these unforgettable characters and stories alive on screen. Viewers can watch the adventures from seasons one and two by streaming all episodes on ITVX."
The sitcom generated controversy before it aired, with the Police Federation of England and Wales describing its title as "disgusting", adding that it was "highly offensive to police officers risking their lives to protect the public every day".
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At the time, Mukund Krishna, the CEO of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said that the group planned to write to Ofcom and ITV regarding the matter. In the week of its debut, Ofcom received 106 complaints for the series, with a further 94 the following week.
In response to the criticism, ITV said that the title was "not intended to cause any offence", adding that it was "a comedic and endearing play on words to emphasise the innocence and youth of our young trainees".
The sitcom received mixed reviews from viewers, with IMDb reporting a user rating of 5.1/10. In a scathing 1/10 review, one viewer lamented the "poor" writing and direction as they dubbed it a "trainwreck".
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Another described it as "one of the worst comedy shows" they had "ever seen", adding: "The acting is awful, the script is mostly nonsensical and the whole concept of these 'recruits" would even be considered for the police force is totally idiotic."
There were some fans, however, with one saying: "Piglets has a lot of laughs and is a lot of fun. Yes, it's silly which is why it's so good. Who doesn't like laughing at silly jokes and puns and references? There is a great range of characters."
Piglets aired on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.
After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.
Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.
You can read more of her work on her Substack page.
