Showtime has canceled its drama series American Rust after just one season, according to a report from Variety. The series was based on a novel of the same name by Philipp Meyer, which was originally published in 2009.
The series, like the book, centered on a small and dilapidated steel town in Pennsylvania. American Rust starred screen legend Jeff Daniels as Del Harris, chief of police of a small town who has to navigate the investigation of a case that threatens to tear the town, and his family apart. In addition to functioning as a crime drama, the series also explored the economic and social decline of a once prosperous part of America. Similar series, such as Mare of Easttown, which premiered only months before American Rust, told interconnected stories of a Pennsylvania town in decline.
American Rust had a long and winding history before it began airing on Showtime. The series was originally picked up by USA Network in 2017, but was scrapped in 2018 when no lead could be found for the project. However, in 2019 Showtime picked the formerly defunct series up and Jeff Daniels was cast as the lead. The series also starred Maura Tierney, Bill Camp, David Alvarez, Alex Neustaedter, and Julia Mayorga.
The series was created by Dan Futterman, who previously worked with Daniels on the Hulu series The Looming Tower. Futterman served as showrunner on the series. He is also an executive producer along with Jeff Daniels and Adam Rapp. In hopes of stirring buzz for the series, Showtime released the first episode for free on YouTube.
In a recently released statement, Showtime said, "[w]e can confirm that ‘American Rust’ will not be moving forward with a second season." The statement continued, "[w]e would like to thank our partners at Boat Rocker, our talented showrunner Dan Futterman and the rest of the wonderful writers, and our amazing cast led by Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney.”
The series received mixed reviews for its first and only season and did not pick up in viewership during its 9-episode season, with each episode failing to break half a million viewers. There is no information on how or if the series will proceed on another network. Series creator Dan Futterman and series star Jeff Daniels have yet to make a statement on the announcement. If you want to watch the first season, you can stream the series on Showtime for Hulu.