HBO has renewed the drama The Deuce for a second season. The series was created by George Pelecanos and David Simon, who previously collaborated on the HBO series The Wire and Treme. It is executive produced by Pelecanos, Simon, Nina Kostroff Noble and James Franco.
The show premiered Sept. 10. The pilot was executive produced by Michelle MacLaren, who also directed the first and final episodes of the first season.
“We are thrilled to continue our creative collaboration with master storytellers David Simon and George Pelecanos,” said Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming. “Their unique gift for immersing the audience in their dark and edgy worlds brings a brilliant verisimilitude unlike any other. With the remarkably talented Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco leading an exceptional cast, we look forward to delving deeper as this captivating story evolves.”
Related: HBO’s ‘The Deuce’ Premiere Tallies 2.2 Million Viewers
Named for New York’s fabled 42nd Street, The Deuce has eight episodes in season one. The show chronicles the rise of porn culture in New York from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s, exploring the sex trade from the moment when both a cultural revolution in American sexuality and new legal definitions of obscenity created a billion-dollar industry.
“Everyone involved with this project is genuinely grateful to HBO for the chance to take the narrative where it needs to go," says Simon. "We knew the theme and purpose of the story, but there are many people in the entertainment industry who might not have it told, or worse, would have told it for the wrong reasons. HBO is a serious outfit. And they don't scare.”
Added Pelecanos, “Many thanks to HBO, our longtime partners, who’ve now given us the opportunity to continue to tell this compelling story. We’re ready to get back to work with our amazing cast and crew.”
