Lovecraft Country cancelled by HBO after one smash hit season

HBO has not given Lovecraft Country a second season (Picture: HBO)

Lovecraft Country has not been renewed for season two.

The horror drama was one of the most popular new series of 2020, and achieved a Golden Globe nomination for best TV series (drama).

However, HBO has confirmed that it has been cancelled after one season.

A statement read: ‘We will not be moving forward with a second season of Lovecraft Country. We are grateful for the dedication and artistry of the gifted cast and crew, and to Misha Green, who crafted this groundbreaking series. And to the fans, thank you for joining us on this journey.’

The inventive drama, based on the book by Matt Ruff, followed Atticus Freeman (played by Jonathan Majors) as he travels through 1950s Jim Crow America searching for his missing father with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett).

The show synopsis read: ‘This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a [HP] Lovecraft paperback.’

Lovecraft Country received rave reviews and its season one finale reached 1.5 million viewers, making it HBO Max’s most-watched new episode of an original series.

The series was based on the novel by Matt Ruff (Picture: HBO)

According to Deadline, the decision to axe the series came due to lack of source material for a second season.

Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer of HBO and HBO Max, told the publication in February: ‘Misha [Green, who developed the series] is working with a small team of writers and they’re coming up with a take. She had a book to go on in the first season. She and the writers wanted to go off and take some time to go out and figure out without a book with these characters, what’s the journey we want to go on.

‘We all want to be sure she’s got a story to tell. That’s where she is right now, working on those ideas. I’m very hopeful, as is Misha, so we’re giving them the time to work.’

Green had shared plot ideas in October, saying: ‘I envision a second season that carries on the spirit of Matt Ruff’s novel by continuing to reclaim the genre storytelling space that people of colour have typically been left out of.’

Following the cancellation news, Green shared a teaser of her season two ‘bible’ and tweeted: ‘Wish we could have brought you #LovecraftCountry: Supremacy. Thank you to everyone who watched and engaged. #noconfederate.’

More: US TV news

The bible featured a map of the States which was divided into the Tribal States of the West, the New Negro Republic, Whitelands and Jefferson Commonwealth, and read: ‘Season two of Lovecraft Country begins in a new world, and that new world is a country that sits precisely where the United States used to sit – Welcome to the SOVEREIGN STATES OF AMERICA…’

The show’s cancellation has been met with disappointment on social media, with Chloe Bailey tweeting: ‘i’m really sad about lovecraft country that was my favorite show.’

Lovecraft Country writer Ihuoma Ofordire tweeted: ‘Sad but thankful to everyone who rocked with us on this wild ride. This was a life changing experience and I’m grateful to have been apart of such an iconic show.’

The series had advanced the conversation around racism in America, around the time that Black Lives Matter marches protested police brutality following the death of George Floyd.

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