Flight of the Conchords will not return to TV

The show starred Bret McKenzie (left) and Jemaine Clement

New Zealand comedy duo Flight of the Conchords have announced they will not make a new series of their TV show.

The cult HBO sitcom, about two aspiring musicians in New York, was nominated for two Emmys last year.

Writing on their website, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement said: "The less we say about the future of the show, the more people want to talk about it.

"So in an effort to reverse this trend we are today announcing that we won't be returning for a third season."

The added: "While the characters Bret and Jemaine will no longer be around, the real Bret and Jemaine will continue to exist."

Inept rap battle

Flight of the Conchords, which was broadcast on BBC Four in the UK, also spawned two hit albums.

The series followed the naive, introverted Kiwi duo as they pursued superstardom under the watchful eye of their hapless manager, Murray Hewitt.

The second series received four Primetime Emmy nominations

Songs in the show were often thinly-veiled parodies of existing hits - Sugalumps standing in for the Black Eyed Peas' My Humps, and You Don't Have To Be A Prostitute a clear nod to The Police's Roxanne.

Other fan favourites included Business Time - in which Jemaine tried to sweet-talk his girlfriend to bed as she sorted out the recycling - and inept rap battle Hip-hopopotamus vs Rhymenoceros.

But the programme often hinted that these songs only existed in the character's minds. Any time they were seen playing live, the duo were performing a shambolic disco track called Rock The Party.

Clement and McKenzie first came to attention when they picked up a Perrier award nomination at the Edinburgh festival in 2003.

The following year, they recorded an embryonic version of the TV show for BBC Radio 2, with the help of Rob Brydon and Jimmy Carr.

After moving to the US, the second series of the sitcom earned two Emmy nominations - for best comedy and best actor for Clement.

The comedians also picked up four prizes, including band of the year, at the 2008 New Zealand Music Awards.