HBO Surprisingly Cancels Horror Series After Just 1 Season

HBO has surprisingly canceled Lovecraft Country, the critically acclaimed horror series developed by Misha Green and based on the novel by Matt Ruff. The first season earned positive reviews and grew its audience as it aired, with the finale drawing 1.5 million viewers in October 2020. Lovecraft Country was hailed for its unique blend of horror, period drama, and fantasy that touched on social commentary.

"We will not be moving forward with a second season of Lovecraft Country," HBO said told Deadline on Friday. "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."

Lovecraft Country starred Jonathan Majors as Atticus Freeman, who joined his friend Letitia Lewis (Jurnee Smollett) and his Uncle George Freeman (Courtney B. Vance) on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America to find his missing father. The novel and series took inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft's work and weaved in some real-life people. Aunjanue Ellis, Wunmi Mosaku, Abbey Lee, Jamie Chung, Jada Harris, and Michael K. Williams also starred. The series was co-produced by JJ Abrams' Bad Robot and Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw. It ran 10 episodes.

The show's audience grew as the season went on, with the premiere earning 10 million viewers by the time the finale was released. Although the response to the show was overwhelmingly positive, a second season was never guaranteed because the first season adapted Ruff's book. The show found itself in a situation similar to Big Little Lies, which was eventually so successful that HBO ordered a second season after the first adapted the entirety of Liane Moriarty's book.

In February, HBO chief Casey Bloys said Green was working with writers to plan out how Lovecraft Country could continue for a second season without Ruff's book as a foundation. "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 Mischa, so we're giving them the time to work," Bloys told Deadline. Green also told Deadline in October she thought a second season would carry on the spirit of the novel "by continuing to reclaim the genre storytelling space that people of color have typically been left out of." In the end, all parties decided to let Lovecraft Country's first season stand on its own.

All 10 episodes of Lovecraft Country are available to stream on HBO Max. Green previously co-created Underground, a 2016-2017 WGN America drama about the Underground Railroad. She also worked on Heroes and Sons of Anarchy. She is set to make her directorial debut with the sequel to Alicia Vikander's 2018 Tomb Raider.