The second season of National Geographic’s Genius series will chronicle the life and work of Pablo Picasso. The new season, from Fox 21 Television Studios, will again be executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, Madison Wells Media’s OddLot Entertainment and EUE/Sokolow. It will premiere in 2018.
The first season of Genius, about Albert Einstein, concluded Tuesday night. National Geographic calls it its best performing series launch ever.
According to Nat Geo, “Much like the subject of the first season of Genius, Picasso imagined and interpreted the world in totally new and unorthodox ways, and constantly reinvented our perceptions of art and creativity.”
Showrunner, executive producer and writer Ken Biller will continue his role on the show. Grazer and Howard are executive producers, as are Francie Calfo, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Sam Sokolow and Jeff Cooney.
“We are thrilled with the enthusiastic response audiences and critics have had for Genius over the last nine weeks, and are excited to be delving back in to the concept with season two,” said Courteney Monroe, CEO of National Geographic Global Networks. “More so than any of his contemporaries, Picasso's work dramatically expressed the modern age and defined new cultural norms. We are excited to explore his life and his genius with the incredibly talented team behind the series."
Howard called Picasso “the perfect subject” for season two. “Picasso was a trailblazer who left a profound artistic and cultural impact on the world,” he said, “and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership with National Geographic and Fox 21 Television Studios in telling the untold story behind the brilliant individual.”
