The first season of PEN15, a popular cringe comedy show on Hulu, debuted in February 2019. The show is set in the year 2000 and was created by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman, who all star as their middle school selves. Erskine and Konkle star with other young, middle school-aged actors, who add to the film’s comedic tone and drive home the main characters’ sense of alienation and awkwardness.
PEN15 has been out for a few years, and in that time it has amassed a large fan base and widespread critical acclaim (including several Emmy nominations). After season 1 concluded, viewers were anxious for more of Maya and Anna’s mundane antics. The first half of the second season was then made available in September 2020. Fans are already thinking about a third season of the funny comedy, even though the remainder of season 2 has yet to be aired. What we know about the movie, from its release date to its cast and plot, is as follows:
PEN15 Season 3 Release Date
Season 2 of ‘Pen15’ debuted on Hulu in two parts, with the first dropping on September 18, 2020. Part 2 followed on December 3, 2021. On August 27, 2021, an animated special was released. The 15 episodes of the second season (including the animated special) last between 27 and 38 minutes.
Here is everything we know about the upcoming third season: Hulu announced the series finale of ‘Pen15’ for the second half of season 2 on November 29, 2021. An Amazon spokesperson told Variety that showrunners Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle “feel the story they wanted to tell has come to an end with the upcoming second half of Season 2.”
For the time being, the end of ‘PEN15’ with its second season is definite, but Hulu is eager to see more of the show in the years to come. A Hulu official informed Variety, “Hulu will continue to leave the door open for more ‘Pen15’ in the future and look forward to working with [Erskine and Konkle] again.”
What is the story of Pen15?
The two best pals are Maya and Anna. Everything they do, they’d like to do it together. They make an effort to attract the interest of the attractive male students at their institution. Meanwhile, Maya realized that they were just teasing her. Maya, in their opinion, is the ugliest girl at their school. Maya enlists the aid of her older brother in order to impart some wisdom to the aforementioned thugs. Maya and Anna slowly discover and investigate various aspects of adulthood. As a result, they are able to take greater pleasure in each day.
PEN15 Cast and characters
- Maya Erskine as Maya Ishii-Peters, a shy and sensitive Japanese-American seventh-grader who is best friends with Anna and is primarily raised by her mother.
- Anna Konkle as Anna Kone, a seventh-grader who is best friends with Maya and struggling with her parent’s divorce.
- Mutsuko Erskine as Yuki Ishii-Peters, Maya’s stern but caring mother. She is Erskine’s mother in real life.
- Richard Karn as Fred Peters, Maya’s musician father who is often on tour with his Steely Dan cover band.
- Taylor Nichols as Curtis Kone, Anna’s father, whom she occasionally finds sleeping on the couch after a fight with his wife.
- Melora Walters as Kathy Kone, Anna’s mother, whose New Age spirituality and high-strung personality clash with her husband.
- Taj Cross as Sam Zablowski, a carpool friend of both leads who develops a crush on Maya.
- Dallas Liu as Shuji Ishii-Peters, Maya’s older brother and sometimes defender, who tries to be cool and is often seen smoking cannabis outside school.
Recurring
- Dylan Gage as Gabe Leib
- Sami Rappoport as Becca
- Anna Pniowsky as Heather Taylor
- Ivan Mallon as Ian Walsh
- Hannah Mae as Connie M
- Tony Espinosa as Jafeer
- Brady Allen as Brendan Tooler
- Jill Basey as Ms. Bell
- Lincoln Jolly as Alex
- Brandon Keener as Mr. O
- Allius Barnes as Evan
- Marion Van Cuyck as Terra Newback
- Jessica Pressley as Jessica Abrams
- David Bowe as Albert
- Diane Delano as Jan
- Jonah Beres as Brandt
- Nathaniel Matulessya as Skyler
- Katie Silverman as Stevie
- Brekkan Spens as Ben Field
- Bernadette Guckin as Mrs. Tooler
- Tim Russ as Mr. Wyzell
- Isaac Edwards as Dustin
- Jennifer Steadman as Suze
- Carmina Garay as Jenna
- Ashlee Grubbs as Maura
- Sara Boustany as Miranda
- Rebecca Faye Vincent as Marissa H
- Chau Long as Steve
- Albert Howell as Principal Ravage
- Brandon Soo Hoo as Andy Kim
- Michael Angarano as Greg Rosso
- Bill Kottkamp as Derrick
PEN15 Season 3 Expected Plot
So far, PEN15 has intelligently and successfully explored many themes that we were all familiar with dealing with as 13-year-olds, including unrequited crushes, popularity woes, and friendship disputes. As the story progresses, there will certainly be more to cover, especially since the kids are still in seventh school. Both of these pals were in peril as the first half of season 2 came to a close. Maya was devastated after her school play co-star Gabe (Dylan Gage) dumped her. Anna, who has been suffering since her parent’s divorce, must now choose one of them to live with.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Erskine and Konkle teased that the second half of season 2 will introduce new challenges for their characters. According to Konkle, “They’re having more firsts again. In the first season, many firsts occurred. This sequence of seven episodes represents the fallout from those first initiatives. One can wonder, “Who am I?” This is…what? Asking if I qualify as a teenager. What age am I? This section after that is me being a teenager and accepting it. These are the very first things I’ve ever done. I feel like I can take on anything now.
With these novel events planned for the next batch of episodes, it’s possible that the “blowbacks” of these happenings may be explored in season 3. Also, 7th grade will soon be coming to an end, so the show’s plot may advance to 8th grade in the upcoming third season. We can rest assured that whatever PEN15 has in store for us next will be just as embarrassing, amusing, and heartbreaking as what has come before.
PEN15 Season 3 Trailer
Once the Season 3 renewal for PEN15 is finalized, the official trailer will be released. While its exact release date is unknown, we expect it to occur before the third season of the PEN15 series airs.
PEN15 Season 2 Rating
The Pen15 reviews are overly positive. The average rating for Pen15 on IMDB is 8.1. Rotten Tomatoes gives Pen15 an astounding 97% approval rating. Pen15 has an 87% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. TV-MA indicates that this show is appropriate for viewers of all ages.Pen15 is not a show for the whole family, but it does include valuable lessons that teenagers can take away from it.
How many episodes will be there in Pen15 Season 3?
There were a total of 25 episodes in the second season before the third. There is currently no concrete information on the length of Pen15 Season 3, but we can still anticipate at least 15 episodes.