One of the most imaginative shows of 2020 will not be moving forward with HBO.
While cinephiles are anticipating Jonathan Majors’ villain turn in Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it is the shocking news from Deadline that will have most people tweeting up a storm on their timelines this weekend.
Lovecraft Country—the H.P. Lovecraft-infused, Mischa Green-created show—was confirmed to not have a second season on HBO or HBO Max. Despite the 10-episode first season knocking everyone for a loop and cementing Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors as sure-fire A-list talent, the show's popularity wasn’t enough to convince the network to move forward with another installment.
“We will not be moving forward with a second season of Lovecraft Country,” HBO said in a statement. “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.”
As Deadline pointed out, the Season One finale of Lovecraft Country reached 1.5 million viewers, which marked HBO Max’s most-watched new episode of an original series. By October, the premiere episode hit 10 million viewers. In this case, while audiences were marveling at how author Matt Ruff’s source material was utilized, Deadline cites “the lack of a roadmap” as a major reason why HBO decided to end the show.
“I envision a second season that carries on the spirit of Matt Ruff’s novel by continuing to reclaim the genre storytelling space that people of color have typically been left out of,” Green said.
