It's been almost a year since Lovecraft Country – Misha Green's horror drama based on Matt Ruff's novel of the same name – made its debut on HBO and fans have been wondering ever since whether the show will return for a second season.

Advertisement

Starring Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors, the series follows Atticus Freeman (Majors), a young Black man who travels across segregated 1950's US to search for his father and discovers the dark supernatural secrets wreaking havoc on a town in the process.

Blending the fictional work of HP Lovecraft and the real racist horrors of Jim Crow America, Lovecraft Country received critical acclaim following its 10 episode run – and yet despite its popularity, HBO recently announced that it would not renew the show for a second season.

"We will not be moving forward with a second season of Lovecraft Country," the broadcaster told Deadline.

"We are grateful for the dedication and artistry fo 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."

More like this

Here's everything you need to know about Lovecraft Country, why it was cancelled and the chances of it being saved by another channel.

Will there be a season 2 of Lovecraft Country?

Unfortunately, it's bad news for fans of Lovecraft Country. The HBO sci-fi drama won't be returning for a second season.

"We will not be moving forward with a second season of Lovecraft Country," HBO told 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."

Misha Green tweeted the news with a sneak-peak of what season two would have been, with the caption: "A taste of the Season 2 Bible. Wish we could have brought you #LovecraftCountry: Supremacy. Thank you to everyone who watched and engaged."

Season two would have taken place in a new world – the Sovereign States of America – in the place of where the United States used to be, however the new country would have been divided into four separate districts: Tribal Nations of the West, Whitelands, New Negro Republic ad Jefferson Commonwealth.

While it looks as though Lovecraft Country won't continue on HBO, fingers crossed another broadcaster saves the show!

When could a second season of Lovecraft Country air?

Well, if another series is commissioned we likely won't see it for a while yet, especially given the fact that the coronavirus pandemic continues to slow TV production around the world.

We'll let you know if we get more concrete details.

Lovecraft Country season 1, episode 10 recap

**Spoilers for the season finale of Lovecraft Country season 1**

The final episode of the first season was a very dramatic affair – with as some major characters killed off.

The episode began with Tic and his family attempting to stop Christina from gaining immortality, and in its final 20 minutes, things really went mad.

It saw Christina fulfil her promise of killing Tic in a magical ceremony on the Autumnal Equinox, but as devastating a loss as it was, Tic's death wasn't without retribution.

Thanks to his sacrifice, Leti was able to complete a spell that prevented Christina – and all other white people – from practicing magic ever again, while Christina ends up dead at the hands of Dee. The action-packed finale also saw the revelation that Christina had killed Ruby off-camera.

Abbey Lee plays Christina Braithwaite on HBO's Lovecraft Country
Abbey Lee plays Christina Braithwaite on HBO's Lovecraft Country SEAC

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Misha Green explained the deaths of Christina and Ruby. She said, "We talked about the Christina and Ruby relationship and the course of their arc over the season. In the idea of these potions and being able to swap bodies it felt like at the end of the day Ruby would choose her sister, and that would upset Christina who's actually gotten closer to Ruby than she's gotten to anyone in a very long time.

"So that just felt like the natural progression of that story and that portrayal. And then Christina, she's not invincible anymore, and it just felt like the question of what would happen to her was answered by Dee's robotic arm."

On the subject of Tic, she added, "In the writer's room we talk a lot about this idea of the hero's journey, and what that means. How do you change power structures that are so powerful? And part of that thought was that you have to make sacrifices to change the world.

"So it was very interesting to us to watch a hero know that's what's coming, and know he has to do that to change the power structure within Lovecraft Country, which is magic, knowing that his sacrifice was going to be worth that. It was just exciting to watch that character go through that, to see this person that had been kind of actively fighting his death the whole season, actually accept it and walk towards it."

For his part, Jonathan Majors told Entertainment Weekly, "When I got [the script for] episode 10, we’d already been shooting for five months — we only shot for seven months — so it hit me mid-stride. I was like, 'Oh… OK then… This is how it’s going to go.' So, this is a bit of a surprise to me, as it was to the audience."

He added, "I was a bit heartbroken. I thought, 'Aw man! Okay cool.' That reminded me of one of the things I really thought of early on playing Atticus: What is a hero? And the hero is he or she who allows their heart to break."

Who could be in a cast for a second season of Lovecraft Country?

We'd hope to see the likes of Jurnee Smollett (Leti Lewis), Aunjanue Ellis (Hippolyta Freeman), Michael K Williams (Montrose Freeman) and Jada Harris (Dee Freeman) all return for more – and this being Lovecraft Country, there's even a chance that the late Tic Freeman (Jonathan Majors), Wunmi Mosaku (Ruby Baptiste) and Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) could reappear.

Of course there could be some new stars added to the cast as well - but given a second season hasn't even been commissioned yet, we're a while away from any official casting news just yet.

What could happen in a potential Lovecraft Country season 2?

That's anybody's guess at this point - but if the show is saved by another network and commissioned for a second series, there's no shortage of material to work with.

Showrunner Misha Green used Matt Ruff's novel of the same name as a jumping-off point for the first season, but there's still plenty of the novel's eight stories that haven't yet come up.

We'd expect to see some of those stories in addition to some brand new material, in a similar fashion to the first season.

Is there a trailer for Lovecraft Country season 2?

Of course, we'll still have to wait a while for a trailer - but if one does become available you'll be able to find it right here.

Advertisement

Lovecraft Country is available to own now digitally from all major retailers. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement