Avatar: The Last Airbender showrunner surprisingly departs, meaning the Netflix series will have more showrunners than seasons

Avatar: The Last Airbender’s showrunner has departed the Netflix series just over a month after its release – and its two-season renewal.

Albert Kim will be replaced by co-executive producer Christine Boylan and executive producer Jabbar Raisani according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This isn’t the first case of showrunner revolving doors on the Avatar series, either. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko – the creators of the original Nickelodeon series – left in 2020 due to creative differences.

Now, it’s up to the new pairing of Boyland and Raisana to steer Avatar to its conclusion. The first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender covered Book One of the animation, and it’s likely that the next two seasons will cover the remaining pair of Books left to adapt.

Avatar: The Last Airbender, starring Gordon Cormier as the titular Avatar Aang, was released on February 22. It encountered some controversy even before release, thanks to some fans thinking one of its characters – Ian Ousley’s Sokka – had some of his more sexist edges (a key starting point for his character arc) softened for the live-action version.

In response, Ousley told 12DOVE, "Obviously we took out that element, but he still has that attitude. Not a sexist attitude, but it’s morphed into more of – in Sokka and Katara’s relationship – ‘I’m the leader and you’re the follower’ situation. Stuff like that." 

Ousley continued, "He’s still the Sokka we know and love from the cartoon. I don’t even think fans would notice some of those things, honestly, [when] watching our show… He definitely still has his arcs and his lessons in the show."

For more on Avatar, there’s our guide to the Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 ending. Then jump on over to more of the best Netflix shows you could be watching right now.