Fans of HBO’s horror series, Lovecraft Country, were genuinely frightened by the news cycle this weekend. Deadline reported the series, based on Matt Ruff’s novel of the same name, would not be getting renewed for a second season. Created by showrunner Misha Green (Underground), the alt-history show explored themes of American racism and horror through tales inspired by the genre novelist himself, H.P. Lovecraft (The Dunwich Horror, The Call of the Cthulhu).
“We will not be moving forward with a second season of Lovecraft Country,” HBO said via 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,” HBO continued according to Deadline.
The series followed a grand prophecy interlocking a family’s lineage of sorcery with the omnipresent evils of white supremacy. Set in 1940s Chicago, viewers followed Jonathan Majors (The Last Man in San Francisco, Da 5 Bloods) as Atticus “Tic” Freeman, a Korean War vet whose head was always in the clouds. Mostly to escape the volatile reality he faced as a Black man in America. When his father, played by Michael K. Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire), disappears in the New England area, he sets out on a perilous journey of redemption and self-discovery to reclaim his family’s legacy. The series also starred Jurnee Smollett (Eve’s Bayou, Birds of Prey), Courtney B. Vance (The Preacher’s Wife, Project Power), Aunjunae Ellis (Roots, Ray), Abby Lee Kershaw (The Neon Demon, Mad Max: Fury Road), and Wunmi Mosaku (Loki, His House).
According to Deadline, all signs around the hit series’ ten-episode run should have signaled a renewal. The show garnered a series-high audience of 1.5 million for its season finale. And its pilot eventually grossed a total of 10M viewers on HBO Max. However, the TV adaptation, though different from Ruff’s original version, expunged most of the novel’s storyline, leaving Green and executive producers JJ Abrams (Lost, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Jordan Peele (Us, Candyman) to pen an original story for a new season.
“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 according to Deadline. In the midst of the news, Green teased some of what she envisioned for season two via a thread on Twitter.
According to Deadline, HBO and HBO Max’s Chief Content Officer, Casey Bloys, relayed that Green and her team were “coming up with take” as early as February of this year. “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,” Bloys told Deadline. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to see the ideas come to life.
Since the announcement Friday, Green has posted a link to the script of each episode via her Twitter account for fans to enjoy. Lovecraft Country can be purchased at all major retailers and streamed on HBO Max.