Following the disappointment of the pricey Vinyl and high-profile busts of Lewis & Clark and two David Fincher shows before they even made it to air, HBO has been facing a drought in dramatic programming. The network shook things up last year by hiring Casey Bloys as new president of programming, and so now the network is undergoing a reboot of sorts as it works to bolster that slate in the next year or so.
But does that include True Detective Season 3 and second season of The Night Of, which premiered last year to solid reviews? “Maybe” is the answer at the moment. Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour this past weekend (via Variety), Bloys offered updates on new seasons of both of these series, and he seems optimistic about The Night Of Season 2:
“Steve [Zaillian] and Richard [Price] are throwing around ideas. I’m hopeful they will land on something but one thing I know about them — if they’re not 100% sure about something, they’re going to take their time. I told them we’ll be here when you’re ready. I’m hopeful that they’re getting an idea they’re excited about.”
The Night Of took a long time to make it to air, as the pilot was shot with James Gandolfini in the lead role before his untimely passing necessitated a do-over. John Turturro was subsequently cast and the pilot was reshot, but the show itself garnered a mostly positive response as the whodunit barreled towards a satisfying conclusion. It’s unclear if The Night Of Season 2 would follow the same characters, or if it would just pick up with Turturro’s character (and his nasty feet) following a new cast, but if Zaillian and Price hit upon an idea worth doing, it sounds like Bloys is game.
As for True Detective Season 3, things are a bit murkier:
“I don’t have anything on paper yet but I know there are some ideas going back and forth. I don’t want to rush it. I don’t want to do anything just to get it on the air.”
Indeed, True Detective Season 2 was one of the bigger creative nosedives in recent memory when compared to Season 1, and some of the blame landed on the feet of HBO for rushing creator/showrunner Nic Pizzolatto to get a second installment ready for 2015. It sounds like they’re taking a significant breather for a third season, if it ever happens, but Pizzolatto is also developing a Perry Mason series at the network that would star Robert Downey Jr., so he’s not only working on True Detective.
Before Bloys was in charge, HBO was mulling a couple of options for True Detective Season 3 that would see Pizzolatto either working alongside a new showrunner or assembling a writers room, but it’s unclear if those are still on the table.
What say you, HBO faithful. Are you game for both The Night Of Season 2 and True Detective Season 3, or would you rather see the network branch out into new territory? Sound off in the comments below.
