HBO Renews 'Ballers' and 'Insecure'

HBO renewed its summer comedies Ballers and Insecure for new seasons, meaning Dwayne 'The Rock' [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

HBO renewed its summer comedies Ballers and Insecure for new seasons, meaning Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is never going to get a vacation, TVLine reports.

Insecure is now in its third season, with episode five airing on Sunday. The series was created by star Issa Rae with Larry Wilmore and has earned critical acclaim since it debuted. Rae and Yvonne Orji star as best friends in their late 20s, navigating life through the eyes of black women. Other members of the cast include Lisa Joyce, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales and Y'lan Noel.

Rae was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy series at the 2017 and 2018 Golden Globes. She is also up for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmys. Patrick Cady was also nominated for Cinematography.

The show's second season was also listed as one of the top 10 TV shows at the 2018 American Film Institute Awards.

As for Ballers, the show is now in its fourth season, which only runs nine episodes. The series was created by Stephen Levinson and stars Johnson, John David Washington, Omar Benson Miller, Rob Corddry, Donocan W. Carter, Troy Garity and London Brown.

In the series, Johnson stars as Spencer Strasmore, a former NFL player who becomes a financial manger for other NFL players. Johnson has somehow managed to stay in the series despite his busy film schedule. The wrestler-turned-actor is now working on Disney's Jungle Cruise, which hits theaters on Oct. 11, 2019. This summer, he starred in Rampage and Skyscraper.

Oddly enough, one of Ballers' biggest fans is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. In 2017, when the Writers Guild of America was in the middle of contract negotiations, Warren cited Ballers as one reason for supporting the writers. When Uproxx posted an article about Warren's love of the show, Johnson responded, "Luv this. Thx U Senator Elizabeth Warren (and hubby Bruce) for watching our @BallersHBO. Like you, we ball hard."

In August, Warren was asked why she loved the show. Was it just because of The Rock? "It is The Rock," she jokingly replied. Warren posted a clip from the interview on Twitter, which prompted another response from Johnson.

"I appreciate the love Senator Warren. Enjoy our new season tonight and you have a big Rock sized hug coming when I see ya," he wrote.

New episodes of Ballers air on HBO at 10 p.m. ET on Sundays, followed by new episodes of Insecure.

Photo credit: HBO

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