The first trailer for Pose season 2 has just been released by FX, a series that spotlights the lives of transgender people of color in 1980s New York and explores underground ball culture in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. Running under a minute long, the promo offers a first look at the second season and teases the storylines that will unfold in the coming episodes.
According to FX’s description, “Pose Season 2 flashes forward in time to 1990. On the heels of the ballroom community establishing itself in pop culture and going mainstream, the House of Evangelista is forced to reevaluate their goals. Meanwhile, the AIDS crisis worsens and the reaction from a group of activists reaches a fever pitch.”
Pose is a Golden Globe-nominated drama that made television history for featuring the largest cast of LGBTQ actors in a scripted series, featuring Dominique Jackson, Mj Rodriguez, Hailie Sahar, Indya Moore, Tony Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Billy Porter, Angel Bismark Curiel, Dyllón Burnside and Ryan Jamaal Swain in regular roles.
For its second run, the cast will be joined by Patti Lupone, and Sandra Bernhard will become a series regular. Pose is co-created by Ryan Murphy (Glee), Steven Canals, and Brad Falchuck, who executive produce alongside Brad Simpson, Nina Jacobson, and Alexis Martin Woodall. Producers Janet Mock and Our Lady J spoke about the series in an interview.
“It’s about telling the truth and giving people a chance to see the humanity in the truth and the realness through storytelling,” said Mock. “What’s so special about Pose and the team that Ryan Murphy has assembled, and as well as Steven and Brad Falchuk, [is that] they brought on people who live the experience.”
Screenwriter Our Lady J, who has been living with HIV for over a decade, talks about how the show is handling its portrayal of people affected by HIV/AIDs: “One thing that I feel like we successful did, that I haven’t seen before, is to bring HIV-positive stories to the screen, where they don’t drop dead at the end of the episode. It’s what is it like to live with HIV. What is it like to be stigmatized by the disease? What is the human aspect of that? Through these characters, we were able to do that. It’s not just about the struggle, it’s about the choice to live.”
The ten-episode second season of Pose is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions.
Pose season 2 will be released this Pride Month, Tuesday, June 11 on FX.