If a network wants to hire a guy to create, produce, and write a series that’s going to be on the air for a decade, then David Simon is not your guy. Though he did get his start on the show “Homicide: Life on the Street,” he was not responsible for much of the creative decisions, as the series was based on his life and novel of the same name. However, with each subsequent series, all of which with HBO, Simon has continuously taken creative control on how to craft the series, which includes a clear end date with a small number of seasons. And with the recent news surrounding the critically-acclaimed HBO series “The Deuce,” it appears the Simon tradition lives on.
The writer-producer-showrunner took to Twitter to announce that his current series “The Deuce” has been renewed by HBO for a third season, which will also be its last.
“We’re always conjuring the last scene before we write the first. So much the better when we work for people who allow us to consistently plan, arc and execute as intended. Thanks, @HBO, for the third and final season renewal and the chance for #thedeuce to tell its full story,” tweeted Simon.
While we are willing to take the writer on his word that he always intended on the series to end after three seasons, the timing probably couldn’t be better for HBO. While the show had a huge promotional push for its debut season, featuring stars James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal front and center in all the marketing materials, the recently-debuted second season was met with a bit of controversy and overall apathy.
Much of that stems from the fact that Franco had become the center of a #MeToo situation. Even though the network said they were comfortable moving forward on the series with the actor, HBO shied away from using him in any sort of promotion for the new season. Also, there’s the fact that while Simon created a quality series, with the influx of just wave after wave of quality TV, shows like “The Deuce” tend to get passed over due to its fairly reserved storytelling.
Basically, “The Deuce” is never the subject of any water cooler discussions, as series like “Stranger Things,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and HBO’s own “Game of Thrones” are always making headlines.
That being said, much like “The Wire,” “Treme,” and “The Corner,” “The Deuce” will probably be one of those series that gets discovered over time and is remembered as yet another good series from David Simon. And that’s nothing to cry about, either.
No release date has been set for season 3 of “The Deuce,” but considering the second season recently premiered, we’re probably looking at a late-summer, early-fall 2019 launch.
We're always conjuring the last scene before we write the first. So much the better when we work for people who allow us to consistently plan, arc and execute as intended. Thanks, @HBO, for the third and final season renewal and the chance for #thedeuce to tell its full story. pic.twitter.com/B1cOuady1X
— David Simon (@AoDespair) September 20, 2018