Beloved police comedy axed after three series as in-demand stars are too busy to film
SKY’S police comedy Code 404 has been cancelled after three series because its stars Danny Mays and Stephen Graham are too busy.
Anna Maxwell Martin and Tracy Ann Oberman also starred in the cop romp, which follows Danny’s semi-robotic detective John Major, who was brought back to life using AI after being killed in action.
Danny said: “We’re good friends, Stephen and I, but it would be pretty much impossible to get us back in the same room together because of work commitments.
“We were lucky to get three seasons of Code 404 and had great fun doing it, but it almost certainly won’t be coming back.”
Danny is currently starring as one of Peter Sutcliffe’s victims in ITV1’s The Long Shadow, which begins next Monday.
And Stephen will next be seen in Netflix’s ambitious crime drama Bodies, landing on October 19.
When Code 404 first aired in April 2020, lockdown had hit – helping the series to huge ratings and making it Sky’s most watched comedy in almost a decade.
Commenting as he launched series two, Mays said: “I think it was a perfect time for it to be released.
“You know, we were in lockdown. And I think Code 404 to me represents a pure kind of unadulterated entertainment.
“You know, it’s slapstick funny, there’s great drama in it – and there’s even more stunts and gadgets this time around.”
The series saw Mays back as another police officer, something that has become a recurring theme for the actor, who has appeared as a member of the force in the likes of 2017 film The Limehouse Golem to Des and Line of Duty.
He told Radio Times: “I mean, that is just how it panned out.
“I think I was playing hoodlums and thugs when I started out, and now it’s moved on to policemen and who knows what it will be next
“I think this country… they love true crime drama, don’t they? So there’s always cop shows on the telly all the time.”