Fans love “Lovecraft Country,” one of the most popular shows of 2020, starring Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors, but it’s not getting love from HBO.
The network confirmed to Deadline that the show, despite the 10-episode season’s popularity, will not be getting a Season 2.
“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.”
The show was created and executive produced by showrunner Green and produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. Majors starred as Atticus Freeman, who travels through 1950s Jim Crow America on a quest for his missing father with pal Letitia (Smollett).
As Deadline pointed out, the Season 1 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.
Season 1 had Matt Ruff’s book as source material, but Deadline reported that the decision to end the show was, at least in part, based on the fact that there wasn’t a roadmap — though Green shared Season 2 plot ideas with the outlet in October.
“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.
“Lovecraft Country” scored a Golden Globes nomination for Best TV Series, Drama, but ultimately lost to “The Crown.”