Cuckoo Season 6 - What We Know So Far

Plenty of shows have seen changes to their cast over the years, ranging from Kevin Spacey infamously departing the final season of "House of Cards" to Jane Krakowski replacing Rachel Dratch after the original "30 Rock" pilot. But none have seen three lead actors come and go like the 2012 BBC TV series "Cuckoo."

When the show originally premiered, the pilot set up a fish-out-of-water dynamic, as the Staffordshire family of the Thompsons reacted – badly – to their new American son-in-law, Dale "Cuckoo" Ashbrick, an eccentric hippie played by Andy Samberg. But when Samberg left the show after Season 1 for "Brooklyn 99," his character was written out and none other than Jacob Black from "Twilight," Taylor Lautner, replaced him, starring as the character's lovechild, Dale Jr.

That was the case until Season 5, when Lautner left and Andie MacDowell was introduced as Ken Thompson's newly discovered American half-sister, Ivy. Regardless of the cast changes, the show has been a huge success for the BBC, raising the question of whether there'll be a Season 6 of "Cuckoo."

Though the previous season debuted as long ago as 2019, the BBC hasn't made any announcement regarding a return date for "Cuckoo."

Part of this is almost certainly the longer wait time between seasons of British television series compared to what U.S. TV viewers might be used to. Each season of "Cuckoo" has premiered about two years after the previous one, which is much slower compared to cable dramas and comedies Stateside that tend to produce a season a year.

The considerable wait between seasons has also likely been exacerbated by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, which has generally slowed down TV and film production up until very recently. Even if the BBC announced the show's return very soon, the production cycle would still mean it'd take about a year for "Cuckoo" to be written, produced, and filmed. At the earliest, we would expect a Season 6 of the series in late 2022. 

In previous seasons, "Cuckoo"'s cast went through three lead characters, yet the dynamic remained the same: the American character's free-spirited nature rubs up against the Thompsons, and a culture clash ensues.

While there's been no word from the BBC regarding any cast changes or additions, it's likely that Greg Davies, Helen Baxendale, and Tyger Drew-Honey – who play Ken, Lorna, and Dylan Thompson respectively – would come back, as they've stuck with the show through all five seasons.

Andie MacDowell's return as Ivy is slightly less certain, as the actress is committed to a 2021 Netflix show, "Maid," that is currently in post-production, and she continues to act in high-profile films such as "Ready or Not" and projects like "No Man's Land."

One cast member may not return at all, however: namely Esther Smith, who co-stars on the show as Rachel and had already replaced another actress, Tamla Kari, as the character. With Smith now appearing on the AppleTV+ series "Trying," her schedule may be too full at the moment to return to the show, meaning Rachel may not appear in Season 6 or Smith could simply be replaced with someone else.

The Season 5 finale of "Cuckoo" had ended in a cliffhanger with the election for MP about to be announced, leaving the audience in limbo as to whether Ken had won the seat and Ivy's campaign had worked.

Nothing has been announced in regards to how a Season 6 of the show would resolve the question of the previous finale. It's easy to assume though that a new "Cuckoo" starts with either Ken Thompson, MP for Litchfield, or the character in the doldrums after he loses the election. It would also make sense to follow up on Rachel's romantic troubles with Tash, as well as Steve's fixation on Ivy.

Luckily it's easy to catch up if you're behind on the show. The first five seasons of "Cuckoo" can be streamed on Netflix if you're a fan and want a recap on what happened last season, or if you're new to the series and want to start the first episode.