Television

‘Lovecraft Country’ Won’t Return to HBO for Season 2

HBO announced Friday that the Golden Globes-nominated series Lovecraft Country would not return to the network for a second season.

“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.”

The 10-episode first season of the acclaimed series produced by J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele — Number Two on Rolling Stone’s list of the Best TV Shows of 2020 — drew primarily from the 2016 novel by author Matt Huff; the show was initially billed as a limited series before its success both critically and ratings-wise opened up the possibility for another season.

“Every other series on this list was far more consistent than this mashup of genres and history, about a black family in the 1950s battling horrors both supernatural and painfully real,” Alan Sepinwall wrote of Season One. “Lovecraft aimed higher and hit harder than almost anything else on television.”

In a post-Season One finale interview with Rolling Stone in October 2020, Green said of a potential second season, “We’re in talks with HBO. I just finished the finishing touches of Season One three weeks ago. But I’m excited about exploring Season Two and what we have in mind. Nothing’s official.”

The second season would have deviated from its source material with an original story. Following news of Lovecraft Country’s HBO cancellation, showrunner Green shared what had been her plan for Season 2, which focused on “supremacy”: