“It’s not like anything else on television,” Ponies co-creator/executive producer David Iserson said about the 1970s espionage comedy-drama starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson, which has been canceled by Peacock after one season.
In a heartfelt note to fans on Instagram, Iserson, who co-created Ponies with Susanna Fogel, recalled the show’s seven-year journey to the screen.
He was proud of their accomplishment: “What we made surpassed all of my hopes and dreams for a television show,” he said, calling Ponies “a great show made by great people.”
Set in the Soviet Union circa 1977, Ponies follows Moscow U.S. Embassy secretaries Bea (Clarke) and Twila (Richardson) who become CIA operatives.
Iserson also touched on Ponies‘ modest viewership, which ultimately led to its demise despite strong critical acclaim.
“This is a bold, surprising, stylish television show. Everything beyond that – ratings, algorithms, all of it – is out of my control. I am very lucky to have made something I love,” he said. “If you watched the show, I am grateful. Please tell others. Not because it helps us, but because I think they will like it too. If you’ve never heard of Ponies, check it out. It’s not like anything else on television.”
Iserson gave fans a glimmer of hope.
“Goodbye to Bea and Twila for now,” he wrote, adding, “I hope we all get to visit them again.”
There is no information about Ponies‘ producer, Peacock sibling Universal Television, shopping the series to other platforms. That is always a possibility — albeit very slim.
Iserson also touched upon what some have pointed to after news of the cancellation: Ponies is a series with two female leads, which remains a rarity in television. He encouraged his colleagues to keep at it.
“To other writers and creators: I still believe that trying to make the kind of thing that is hard to make in this business – for us, a period show with two female leads and an unusual tone – is worth it,” Iserson said. “Regardless of how the journey ends, chasing the improbable rather than the likely is still worthwhile.”
Iserson ended his post in the spirit of the show, sending hugs to fans in Russian.
