# Pretty Smart
**Pretty Smart** is an American multi-camera sitcom created by Jack Dolgen and Doug Mand for Netflix, starring [Emily Osment](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-osment) as Chelsea, a Harvard-educated aspiring novelist who moves in with her sister and three roommates in Los Angeles after being dumped by her boyfriend. It premiered on October 8, 2021, ran for 10 episodes, and was canceled in April 2022 after one season.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/1042549/netflix-cancels-pretty-smart-after-one-season/) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/news/pretty-smart-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234736699/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Multi-camera sitcom, TV-14, 10 episodes of roughly 21 to 26 minutes[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/1042549/netflix-cancels-pretty-smart-after-one-season/) • [3](https://www.netflix.com/title/81327503) |
| Creators | Jack Dolgen and Doug Mand; executive producers also included Kourtney Kang, Jim Brandon, Brian Singleton, and Pamela Fryman[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/1042549/netflix-cancels-pretty-smart-after-one-season/) |
| Premiere | October 8, 2021, all 10 episodes released on Netflix[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/1042549/netflix-cancels-pretty-smart-after-one-season/) |
| Main cast | Emily Osment (Chelsea), Olivia Macklin (Claire), Gregg Sulkin (Grant), Cinthya Carmona (Solana), Michael Hsu Rosen (Jayden)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/1042549/netflix-cancels-pretty-smart-after-one-season/) |
| Filming | April 10 to July 2, 2021, in California[4](https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-pretty-smart-filmed/) |
| Cancellation | Reported by TVLine on April 27, 2022; Netflix never ordered a second season[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/pretty-smart-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234736699/) |
| Reception | 40% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (5 reviews) and 70% on the Popcornmeter; 5.9/10 on IMDb[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pretty_smart) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
Chelsea (Emily Osment) is a high-brow, Harvard-educated intellectual and aspiring novelist who, after an unexpected breakup, moves in with her bubbly, carefree, not-so-intellectual West Coast sister Claire (Olivia Macklin) and Claire's three roommates: Grant ([Gregg Sulkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/gregg-sulkin)), a distractingly handsome personal trainer; Solana (Cinthya Carmona), a former lawyer turned healer; and Jayden (Michael Hsu Rosen), a social media influencer. Over the season Chelsea's tough, sometimes judgmental exterior softens as the five form an unlikely found family.[6](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81327503)
The comedy rests on the contrast between Chelsea and the household. Episode titles lean into her voice, such as "Guess what?! Claire's sister is coming!" and "Seriously though! Chelsea has writer's block!"; in the second episode she refuses to leave the couch and snap out of her funk, much to her new roommates' rising frustration.[3](https://www.netflix.com/title/81327503) Later episodes give each roommate a storyline, including Jayden's crush on a man in his pottery class, Solana's search for a macho partner, and a confrontation between Jayden and his mother over her online trolling.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pretty_smart/s01)
## Origin and production
The idea came from a text message. Doug Mand, who created the series with his close friend Jack Dolgen, recalled that Dolgen texted him "What if they're all the dumb one?", inverting the sitcom convention in which a single character is the group's "dumb one". Mand said the word was not meant pejoratively but in the classic sitcom sense, and that the concept flowed from there into a warm show the two could write as a multi-camera comedy, a format Mand had not worked in since *How I Met Your Mother*.[8](https://ourculturemag.com/2021/11/02/interview-doug-mand/)
Filming took place entirely in the United States, in California, running from April 10, 2021 to July 2 of that year, ahead of the October premiere.[4](https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-pretty-smart-filmed/) The series was produced as a Netflix Original.[9](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/pretty-smart-season-2-netflix-renewal-status-what-we-know-so-far-05-2022/)
## Cancellation
TVLine reported on April 27, 2022 that Netflix had canceled the series after one season. The report came shortly after TVLine separately reported that Osment had been elevated to series-regular status on the CBS sitcom *Young Sheldon*.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/pretty-smart-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234736699/) The first season had ended on an unresolved romantic cliffhanger: Chelsea and Grant were preparing to tell Claire, who formerly dated Grant, that they had feelings for each other, while Claire decided to leave her new boyfriend and get back together with Grant.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/pretty-smart-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234736699/)
## By the numbers
Viewing data published after the cancellation suggest limited reach. The show reached the Netflix US top ten list for only three days, peaking at eighth place, and stayed in no region's top ten beyond 11 days (South Africa).[9](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/pretty-smart-season-2-netflix-renewal-status-what-we-know-so-far-05-2022/) Critical response was mixed: the season scored 40% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from five reviews, against 70% from audiences on the Popcornmeter, and 5.9 out of 10 on IMDb.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pretty_smart) Reviewers noted the show's throwback quality; [Richard Roeper](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-roeper) of the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) gave it 2 of 4 stars, while Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media called it "an easy binge that's lighter than air and lots of fun" with "unexpected heart".[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pretty_smart/s01)
The cancellation fit a broader pattern: Netflix had struggled to find success with traditional sitcoms, and 2022 saw the streamer drop a series of one-season shows, with *Pretty Smart* joining titles such as *Archive 81* and *The Baby-Sitters Club* among that year's cancellations.[9](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/pretty-smart-season-2-netflix-renewal-status-what-we-know-so-far-05-2022/) • [10](https://www.tomsguide.com/news/netflix-just-canceled-another-show-after-a-single-season)
## Cast notes
Emily Osment began as a child actress, co-starring as Gerti Giggles in the *Spy Kids* sequel films, and is best known for playing Lilly Truscott in the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) series *Hannah Montana*; her other credits include *Cleaners*, *Young & Hungry*, and *Almost Family*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/1042549/netflix-cancels-pretty-smart-after-one-season/) Gregg Sulkin had appeared in *Faking It* and *Runaways*, Cinthya Carmona in *Greenhouse Academy* and *Deputy*, and Michael Hsu Rosen in *Tiny Pretty Things*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/1042549/netflix-cancels-pretty-smart-after-one-season/) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/news/pretty-smart-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234736699/) Kevin Miles, known as "Jake from State Farm" in advertising, played Dave, Claire's boyfriend in the finale.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/pretty-smart-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234736699/)
## References
1. [Netflix Cancels 'Pretty Smart' After One Season, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1042549/netflix-cancels-pretty-smart-after-one-season/)
2. [Pretty Smart Cancelled At Netflix, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/pretty-smart-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234736699/)
3. [Pretty Smart, Netflix official site](https://www.netflix.com/title/81327503)
4. [Where is Pretty Smart Filmed? Netflix Show Filming Locations, The Cinemaholic](https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-pretty-smart-filmed/)
5. [Pretty Smart, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pretty_smart)
6. [Pretty Smart, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81327503)
7. [Pretty Smart: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pretty_smart/s01)
8. [Interview: Doug Mand, Our Culture](https://ourculturemag.com/2021/11/02/interview-doug-mand/)
9. ['Pretty Smart' Season 2: Canceled After 1 Season on Netflix, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/pretty-smart-season-2-netflix-renewal-status-what-we-know-so-far-05-2022/)
10. [Netflix just canceled another show after a single season, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/news/netflix-just-canceled-another-show-after-a-single-season)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2020s cable and streaming comedies*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license