The Old Man spoilers follow.
It's good news for fans of The Old Man: the FX thriller has already been renewed for a second season. The announcement came a mere three episodes into the first-season drop.
This is hardly unsurprising given the show's premiere secured an impressive 975,000 viewers (as reported by Collider).
Karey Burke, President of 20th Century Television, gushed about the show's success, stating: "This terrific series has had a long journey to the air, which makes the reaction from critics and audiences these past few weeks all the sweeter. But the truth is, no one who has worked on it these past three years is surprised it's resonating so deeply.
"From the brilliant creative execution by Jon [Steinberg], Dan [Shotz] and Warren [Littlefield] to the spectacular star turns from Jeff [Bridges], John [Lithgow], Amy [Brenneman] and Alia [Shawkat], this heart-racing series delivers and we thank FX for the incredible support."
So when can we expect the next instalment and who will be returning for another intense ride?
Here's what we know so far about The Old Man season two.
The Old Man season 2 potential release date: When's it on?
Unfortunately, we're not sure yet. As of September 2022, there has been no news suggesting when filming of the second season will start or an estimated release date.
The first series has only just landed in the UK though, and even though it's out in full in the US, is airing weekly here, so we should give it a little time before we start drumming our fingers irritably.
Season one was released on June 16 2022, so we predict a summer debut for its second season but don't quote us on that.
The Old Man season 2 cast: Who will be coming back?
There are two stars who are guaranteed to return – Jeff Bridges as Dan Chase (which is a bit obvious, considering he's the lead and all) but also John Lithgow as Harold Harper.
It seems that these stars will be back for more as well:
• Amy Brenneman as Zoe
• Alia Shawkat as Angela/Emily
• EJ Bonilla as Raymond Waters
• Gbenga Akinnagbe as Julian Carson
The Old Man season 2 plot: What will happen?
It's still all to play for, but considering the end of season one, there is a hell of a lot to sort out.
First off, during the first season's run, it was revealed that Emily (Chase's daughter who had been living a lie as Angela) has been living a lie – she's not even his daughter, though to be fair she didn't know that. Her real father is Afghan warlord Faraz Hamzad (Pej Vahdat).
This reveal proves Chase is to blame for almost everything that has occurred in the first season, and is far from innocent in what's played out. While we had grown to like him as a character, his efforts in keeping things from everyone has proven to be his downfall, and his stubbornness to keep up the charade as torn the world around him apart.
We reckon next season is going to be dark.
Even before season one aired, co-creator John Steinberg said they had laid the groundwork for an exciting ride.
In an interview with The Wrap, Steinberg said: "It's a story that is really about these guys confronting their mortality, especially in the case of Dan Chase. He's a person who has dodged mortality and felt immune to it in some respect to get through all of the things he's gotten through. Now it's about what happens when you can't dodge it anymore and your body is failing you and you're living alone and your children are grown.
"He feels like it's over and it led to a conversation about what I think is conventionally referred to as a three-quarter life crisis. You are conditioned to feel like when you hit a certain age, you're done."
He added: "The idea that I think a lot of people crash into unexpectedly is that they have time left. And I think the more the conversation about legacy became real, the more of this secret door into potentially something else that's totally unexplored becomes important."
The Old Man’s first season was truncated, going down from 10 episodes to seven, after Bridges caught COVID during a period of cancer treatment. The production wanted to give the actor as much time to recover as possible. Their sensitivity was rewarded, and the story wasn’t affected.
"It actually works," Steinberg said (via IndieWire). "Yeah, it was better, because the 10 episodes had always just been a default. That’s the box the season comes in. And when we had the freedom to say, 'Well, what is it?' If it could be anything? What would we want to be? It started to coalesce around this seven-episode run in a way that was better for the story."
Could some of this cut material make it into the second season?
"There are scenes that will live almost as they were, there are stories that almost immediately went away. It was an odd sort of process of translation of taking two to three scripts and throwing them away and then waiting for things to reemerge from them to see what wanted to be a part of it. But it’s better to start that story where they are now rather than getting into it and then stopping in the middle."
One thing’s certain. "As we move forward, the relationship between this guy and his two adopted sons was important," Steinberg said.
The Old Man season 2 trailer: When can I watch it?
Sorry folks! There's been no sign of any trailer coming just yet.
In fact, if you're in the UK, the first season has only just started dropping on Disney+ (but at least that means we don't have to wait as long for season two!)
We'll let you know as soon as there is any new footage.
The Old Man is now streaming on Disney+ in the UK.
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