Prime Video’s I’m A Virgo Is Officially Dead After 3 Years, Confirms Creator

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Even though critics loved it, Prime Video has decided not to renew Walton Goggins’ action-packed show.

From the creator of Sorry to Bother You, Boots Riley, comes I’m a Virgo. The show follows Cootie, a young Black man from Oakland who has lived a sheltered life due to his extraordinary height – thirteen feet tall! Feeling stifled, Cootie steps out into the world, making friends and attracting attention, both positive and wary, including from Jay Whittle, a billionaire who moonlights as a vigilante known as The Hero.

I was totally hooked on I’m A Virgo when it came out in June 2023! Jharrel Jerome, who’s amazing and even won an Emmy, played Cootie, and the whole cast – including Olivia Washington, Brett Gray, Kara Young, Allius Barnes, and the fantastic Goggins as The Hero – was incredible. Critics loved it too, giving it a near-perfect 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – that’s a ‘Certified Fresh’ score! The first season ended with a huge cliffhanger, so everyone was really hoping Prime Video would renew it for a second season.

While promoting his new film, I Love Boosters, Riley spoke with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan about the possibility of a second season of I’m A Virgo. He playfully suggested that whether or not a season two happens is up to the viewers, joking that “we watch too much TV.” He then turned the question around, asking the interviewer what she thought might happen after the show’s cliffhanger ending.

Riley explained that the ending of I’m A Virgo felt abrupt because the show ran out of money about two weeks before filming finished. They needed an additional $3 million to complete everything as planned. As a result, they had to cut about 40% of the script, including an entire episode that would have added another 20 minutes to the show.

In the second season, we delved deeper into the character’s background, showing his involvement in sports and expanding on the stories of the people from the Lower Bottoms neighborhood.

It was so cool hearing about how close we came to having LaKeith Stanfield in the movie! Apparently, Boots Riley had originally planned for him to play one of the characters from the Lower Bottoms – he’s worked with Boots before on Sorry to Bother You. I was joking that if LaKeith had been available, I’m sure Boots could have convinced the studio to fund the film! Sadly, his schedule with Haunted Mansion at Disney just didn’t allow it, and LaKeith was cracking up and apologizing, saying it was all his fault – which was hilarious and sweet!

Riley explained that Prime Video repeatedly suggested saving cut content for a second season of I’m A Virgo, which made the first season feel incomplete. However, when he started planning season two, he realized it didn’t make sense to continue. The remaining ideas only worked well with the material that had been cut, and wouldn’t have been as powerful if they’d started with those ideas instead of saving them for later.

At the end of the first season of I’m A Virgo, Cootie faced an uncertain future. After a strange and transformative personal journey, and experiencing both fame and public criticism, he won a difficult fight against The Hero. However, the skin rash that bothered him throughout the season worsened, suggesting something supernatural was developing beneath his skin, leaving several questions unanswered.

When the show first aired, Jerome mentioned that the mystery surrounding Cootie’s rash was deliberate, a choice made by the creator. He didn’t mention, however, that a substantial amount of the original script for I’m A Virgo had been cut. Later, executive producer Michael Ellenberg suggested to ScreenRant that cuts were necessary to bring the creator’s vision to life.

Michael Ellenberg explains that determining the scope of the show was a huge undertaking. He was particularly excited to work with Boots because of his ability to create immersive worlds. The goal was to build a world viewers could get lost in over many hours and episodes, exploring different storylines. Developing the show involved a lot of experimentation with writing and filming, figuring out what was possible and what wasn’t, with some ideas potentially being revisited later.

Even though the creator might have initially envisioned a longer story, I’m A Virgo working as a limited series could actually be a good thing for the show. This is similar to Boots Riley’s first film, Sorry to Bother You, which also had an open ending that divided audiences regarding the character of Cassius. However, that ending ultimately aligned with the film’s message about resisting societal pressures.

The ending of I’m A Virgo, and what’s happening with Cootie’s strange rash and his future, is similarly open to interpretation. While we might not get a clear answer for why his body is changing so much, it fits with the idea that he’s been gradually influenced by the temptations of capitalism. He keeps wearing clothes from and eating food from companies he knows are harmful to him and the world, so his rash could be a symbolic representation of this, rather than a purely physical ailment.

Even though a second season of I Am Virgo might not be happening, the people who worked on the show are still creating exciting new projects. Riley is back with a new film called I Love Boosters, which has received rave reviews, and Goggins starred in the popular Fallout series on Prime Video. Brett Gray continues to thrive in his role on The Chi, and Dominique Fishback has made history by becoming the first Black actress to receive four consecutive Tony Award nominations for Best Featured Actress in a play, and the first African-American actress to win the award two years in a row.

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2026-05-13 03:59