Today is a sad day for fans of HBO's sci-fi series Lovecraft Country, as the network has chosen not to renew the show for a second season, originally reported by Deadline. The first season, based on the eponymous book by Matt Ruff, tells the story of Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), his childhood friend-turned-love-interest Letitia "Leti" Lewis (Jurnee Smollett), and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) as they set out on a desperate search for Freeman's missing father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams) in the 1950s. They end up finding him deep in the Jim Crow South, imprisoned by white captors who want to use his blood in a dark magic ritual to obtain immortality.
Lovecraft Country was acclaimed for its great cast and impressive mixture of horror and systematic racism in the United States. In its first season, the AFI called the show one of the Top 10 TV Programs of the Year, while the show was nominated for Best Television Series - Drama at the Golden Globe Awards, and Best Drama Series at the Critics' Choice Television Awards.
This announcement comes as a huge surprise, given the February announcement that showrunner Misha Green and company were in the writers' room working on a take for Season 2. So why aren't we getting a second season? Part of the reason likely has to do with the fact that Season 1 covered the complete storyline of the book it was based on. Since the narrative was wrapped up in the first 10 episodes, there's no urgent need to keep the story going or give the audience closure.
But is this the end of the show? Could it be resurrected on another network in the future? While it seems unlikely, we can still always rewatch the first season of Lovecraft Country, currently available to stream on HBO Max.