The Deuce Renewed for Third — and Final — Season at HBO
Good news, and bad news, for fans of The Deuce: HBO has renewed the ’70s porn drama for a third season, TVLine has learned… but that third season will be the series’ last.
Set in the seedy underbelly of New York City during the 1970s, The Deuce chronicles the rise of the pornographic film industry through the eyes of the city’s prostitutes, pimps, cops and mobsters. James Franco stars in dual roles as twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino, with Maggie Gyllenhaal co-starring as street hooker Candy, who discovers a new line of work in porn production. (Gyllenhaal’s work in Season 1 earned her a Golden Globe nomination earlier this year for best actress in a drama series.) The Wire‘s David Simon and George Pelecanos serve as co-creators and executive producers.
Simon confirmed the news with a tweet on Thursday, thanking HBO for giving his show a chance “to tell its full story”:
We're always conjuring the last scene before we write the first. So much the better when we work for people who allow us to consistently plan, arc and execute as intended. Thanks, @HBO, for the third and final season renewal and the chance for #thedeuce to tell its full story. pic.twitter.com/B1cOuady1X
— David Simon (@AoDespair) September 20, 2018
Debuting last September with an eight-episode freshman season, The Deuce was renewed soon after for a nine-episode second season, which kicked off earlier this month with a premiere that jumped forward several years to 1977. It currently airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.
Insecure and Ballers also earned renewals at HBO earlier this month — for a full rundown of what’s renewed and what’s cancelled on cable, check out TVLine’s Cable TV Renewal Scorecard.
Never really got much buzz. I think the lack of Emmy noms might have been the final nail.
Simon said in an interview last year that three seasons was always the plan, with the third and final season being set in the early 80s
Yep, I thought I read that too. I don’t think Franco and Maggy planned on doing a really long running show. Simon and Pelecanos are busy guys, with lots of different potential projects.
That’s a bummer, but it makes sense with this cast and the story they are trying to tell.
I guess it was always supposed to be three seasons? Regardless, I’m a little saddened. I love this show. Hopefully we get another David Simon series soon
That will free up the season two episodes from my PVR. I really wasn’t into it. I didn’t help that Maggie’s talk show appearances left the impression with me that she’s a little full of herself and this role. I bristled at being told that I should watch because it is so very important.
Apart from medical and procedural, all series should have a programmed end.
Yeah, three seasons was always the plan. Franco was talking about that in an interview published before season one had even aired yet.
Essentially, they called it a hybrid “series/limited series.” And, yes, if they follow that plan next season would be in the early to mid-eighties when Times Square starts to be “cleaned up” and a lot of what they were doing had to change or come to an end.
Looks like an interesting show. Maybe I’ll check it out.