American horror drama series Lovecraft Country is the brainchild of Misha Green and is based on Matt Ruff’s 2016 novel of the same name. It stars Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors and premiered on HBO on August 16, 2020. Warner Bros. Television Studios, Bad Robot Productions, and Monkeypaw Productions are working together on the show.
The series portrays a young Black man in the 1950s as he travels throughout the segregated United States in search of his missing father and uncovers the sinister secrets plaguing the town that is said to have served as the inspiration for many of H. P. Lovecraft’s stories. Although production on Lovecraft Country: Supremacy, a second season, had begun, HBO opted to pull the plug on the show in July of 2021.
Lovecraft Country Season 2 Renewal Status
On October 18, 2020, the season one finale of Lovecraft Country aired with the title “Full Circle,” and 1.5 million viewers tuned in to see how things turned out for Atticus and Leti. However, Green stated after the finale aired that there was no confirmation of a season 2 renewal. Lovecraft Country’s second season certainly would have attracted viewers despite the fact that the show would have had to create a plot that wasn’t based on the primary source material (there was only one book). Unfortunately, HBO decided to pull the plug on the fan favorite in July of 2021. The program was canceled after HBO’s chief content officer, Casey Bloys, informed Deadline in February that Green and her creative team were “coming up with a take” for season 2.
Why was Lovecraft Country Season 2 canceled?
Green and the viewers were thanked in a statement, but the reasons for the show’s cancellation were not specified. Since the season one finale drew in 1.5 million viewers, low ratings seem highly unlikely to be the cause. However, the show was probably canceled since it had already adapted Ruff’s entire novel by the conclusion of the first season. The HBO series would have had to forge its own course (not an impossible task) in the absence of any other source material.
Atticus, Uncle George, Montrose, and likely Leti’s sister Ruby were all murdered by the conclusion of the season in Lovecraft Country, which may have been the real reason the show was canceled. Of all, there was magic in the program, so maybe they would have returned in some form for Season 2. Since then, though, both Jonathan Majors and Wunmi Mosaku have gone on to feature in the Netflix original series Loki, so it’s understandable that the show’s producers would be reluctant to continue without the two actors and the roles they played.
Lovecraft Country Season 1 Recap
Tic’s aunt Hippolyta was able to enter a secret planetarium and unlock the portal to the multiverse after stealing an orrery from the Sons of Adam. Then, from a more advanced culture, she got cosmic implants in her wrist. Because of this, she is able to visit alternate timelines and realms. She traveled to another universe with the implants in order to reconnect with her deceased lover, Grorege. And in 1921, Atticus was allowed to return to Tulsa. Hippolyta’s newfound implants have made her the series’ most potent protagonist. And allow the program to go in a variety of interesting new ways in season two.
The introduction of time travel and a parallel timeline paved the way for Atticus’s possible return. It’s possible he was saved before he made his ultimate sacrifice, or that he’s returning from an alternate timeline. Hippolita’s daughter Dana became a minor celebrity in the first season’s final episode. She used the robotic arm that was fused to her body to destroy some demons. Diana hailed Shoggoth to guard Atticus alongside her new robotic arm. In the meantime, Diana avenged the death of her cousin by killing Christina.
Lovecraft Country Cast and characters
- Jurnee Smollett as Letitia “Leti” Lewis, an old friend and love interest of Atticus, who is a skilled photographer
- Jonathan Majors as Atticus “Tic” Freeman, a young man who served in the Korean War.
- Aunjanue Ellis as Hippolyta Freeman, Atticus’s aunt and a star-gazer with an itch for adventure
- Courtney B. Vance as George Freeman, Atticus’s warm, funny and well-read uncle.
- Wunmi Mosaku as Ruby Baptiste, Leti’s estranged older half-sister.
- Abbey Lee as Christina Braithwhite, the sole daughter of the leader of the secret society known as the Order of the Ancient Dawn
- Jamie Chung as Ji-Ah, a seemingly naïve Korean nursing student whom Atticus had an affair with. She is also possessed by a kumiho.
- Jada Harris as Diana Freeman, George and Hippolyta’s daughter as well as Atticus’s younger cousin and Montrose’s niece
- Michael K. Williams as Montrose Freeman, Atticus’s hard-headed and secretive father
- Jordan Patrick Smith as William, Christina’s former henchman and lover, whose form she assumes
- Joaquina Kalukango as Hanna, Atticus’s slave ancestor, a former cleaning woman in Titus Braithwhite’s mansion
- Jamie Neumann as Dell / Hillary, whose form Ruby assumes
- Erica Tazel as Dora Freeman, Atticus’s mother, Montrose’s wife and George’s lover/sister-in-law
- Mac Brandt as Seamus Lancaster, an Order of the Ancient Dawn leader and Chicago police captain
- Deron J. Powell as Tree, a man who attended high school with Leti and Atticus
- Lucius Baston as Phil Hodges, the locksmith
- Regina Taylor as Hattie
- Rhyan Hill as Emmett “Bobo” Till
- Sibongile Mlambo as Tamara
- Jonathan Pawlowski as Burke
- Jamie Harris as Eustice Hunt, the sheriff of Devon County
- Demetrius Grosse as Marvin Baptiste, Leti’s half-brother
- Tony Goldwyn as Samuel Braithwhite, the arrogant leader of a secret society
- Shangela as Lena Horne
- Monét X Change as Dinah Washington
- Darryl Stephens as Billie Holiday
- James Kyson as Byung-Ho
- Monique Candelaria as Yahima, two-spirit
- Matthew Alan as Deputy Eastchurch
Lovecraft Country Season 2 Plotline
Given there was no follow-up to Ruff’s book, the tale of Lovecraft Country season 2 would have been the most intriguing aspect of the show. Despite some obvious deviations from the original, at the end of Lovecraft Country, season 1 the entire story had been conveyed convincingly. Due to the rise in popularity of the standalone show or limited series, it was always inevitable that there would be no Season 2. However, Lovecraft Country season 2 might have created a whole new narrative without compromising the integrity of the first. Season 2 of Lovecraft Country might have gone in a different direction than what was established with Atticus’ heritage. It missed an opportunity to show how the Black community was developing its new magical abilities, which were formerly available only to white people through the Sons of Adam. It’s a shame the first season of Lovecraft Country, which made a strong statement, won’t be followed up with a second.
Where can I watch Lovecraft Country?
Hulu now offers episodes of the Lovecraft Country TV series to watch online.