Popular police comedy canceled after three series because in-demand stars are too busy to film

SKY’s police comedy Code 404 has been canceled after three series because 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 is brought back to life using AI after being killed in action.

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Danny said: “We are good friends, Stephen and I, but due to work commitments it would be next to impossible to get us in the same room together again.

“We were lucky enough to get three seasons of Code 404 and had a lot of fun with it, but it almost certainly won’t be coming back.”

Danny is currently starring as one of Peter Sutcliffe’s victims in ITV1 series The Long Shadow, which starts next Monday.

Stephen will next be seen in the ambitious Netflix crime series Bodies, out October 19th.

When Code 404 first aired in April 2020, there was a lockdown – helping the series to huge ratings and making it Sky’s most-watched comedy in almost a decade.

On launching the second season, Mays said: “I think it was the perfect time to release it.

“You know, we were in lockdown. And I think that Code 404 represents pure entertainment for me.

“You know, it’s funny slapstick, there’s some great drama – and this time there’s even more stunts and shenanigans.”

The series featured Mays again as a police officer, which has become a recurring theme for the actor, who appeared as a member of the force in the 2017 films The Limehouse Golem, Des and Line of Duty, among others.

He told Radio Times: “I mean it just happened that way.

“I think when I first started I played gangsters and thugs, and now it’s the cops and who knows what’s next.”

“I think this country…they love true crime dramas, don’t they? So there are crime films on TV all the time.”