Sam & Cat Cancelled To End Run After One Season 

Nickelodeon’s ‘Sam & Cat’ To End Run After One Season

BY NELLIE ANDREEVA | Sunday July 13, 2014 @ 11:18am PDT

After being put on a “permanent hiatus” in April following some behind-the-scene drama, Nickelodeon hit comedy series

has been being officially cancelled, with promos for the last produced episode, No. 36,

, calling it a series finale. “Nickelodeon will not be producing more episodes of

,” the network said in a statement. “We are very proud of the show and its very talented cast and we wish them all the best.”

had been a runaway success by any measure. The series, from proven hitmaker Dan Schneider, brought together two popular characters from two popular Nick series –

‘ Cat Valentine — played by two of the network’s best-known stars and best friends, Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande, respectively. The series has been a ratings hit, quickly becoming Nickelodeon’s highest-rated series. Last July, only a month into

s run, Nick doubled its freshman order from 20 to 40 episodes. Its hourlong Jan. 18 episode drew 4.8 million total viewers.

‘s 40-episode first season, rumors started circulating about discord on the set, with emotions running high and McCurdy and Grande sometimes showing up late. The grueling, 40-episode shoot had been taxing on everyone. Additionally, McCurdy had been going through a difficult time in her personal life for the past six months and recently had to deal with the leak of racy photos, while Grande’s music career has taken off big time. Both have been at Nickelodeon for a long time, McCurdy for more than seven years and Grande for more than four. Both are entering adulthood, and word is both were feeling constrained at kids-focused Nickelodeon and are ready to move on.

Things came to a head in late March when McCurdy publicly accused Nickelodeon of unfair treatment. She also fueled speculation about a rift with her longtime best friend Grande by un-following Grande on social media and not joining her co-star at Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards. A few days later, production on the series was shut down with four episodes from Season 1 left to shoot. They will not be filmed, and there will not be a second season either. Meanwhile, Nick is in production on the new comedy series from Schneider, the 20-episode