Despite the show’s popularity and critical acclaim, HBO has decided not to move forward with Lovecraft Country Season 2. The series premiered on HBO on August 16, 2020.
“We will not be moving forward with a second season of Lovecraft Country,” HBO said in a statement to Deadline. “We are grateful for the dedication and artistry of the gifted cast and crew, and to Misha Green, who crafted this groundbreaking series. And to the fans, thank you for joining us on this journey.”
From showrunner and executive producer Misha Green, the ten-episode drama series was based on the novel of the same name (buy at Amazon) by Matt Ruff.
The first season follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) as he journeys with his childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) on a road trip from Chicago across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams).
Their search-and-rescue turns into a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and monstrous creatures that could be ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft paperback.
“Misha is working with a small team of writers and they’re coming up with a take,” Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer of HBO and HBO Max, told Deadline in February.
He added: “She had a book to go on in the first season. She and the writers wanted to go off and take some time to go out and figure out without a book with these characters, what’s the journey we want to go on. We all want to be sure she’s got a story to tell.
“That’s where she is right now, working on those ideas. I’m very hopeful, as is Misha, so we’re giving them the time to work.”
In the end, Lovecraft Country Season 2 was not picked up by the channel, even with the premiere episode having crossed the 10 million viewers mark. If you’re curious what Lovecraft Country Season 2 might have looked like, check out this tweet by Misha Green!
Lovecraft Country was executive produced by Green, J.J. Abrams, Jordan Peele, Bill Carraro, Yann Demange (who also directed Episode 1), Daniel Sackheim (who also directed Episodes 2 and 3) and David Knoller (executive producer on Episode 1).
The series was produced by afemme, Inc., Bad Robot Productions and Monkeypaw Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
The series features familiar HBO faces such as Michael Kenneth Williams (HBO’s The Wire and Boardwalk Empire) as Atticus’ father, Montrose Freeman, and Courtney B. Vance (HBO’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, American Crime Story) as Atticus’ uncle George Freeman.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell (HBO’s True Blood, Underground, Friday Night Lights) appears as Letitia “Leti” Lewis; Wunmi Mosaku (Fantastic Beasts) as Leti’s half-sister Ruby Baptiste; and Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us) as Atticus’ aunt and George’s wife, Hippolyta Freeman.
Also appearing are Jamie Harris (Kingdom) as county sheriff Eustice Hunt; Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Christina Braithwhite; Jamie Chung (Once Upon a Time) as Ji-Ah; and Jordan Patrick Smith (Vikings) as William.