The Deuce isn’t stopping at two.
HBO has officially ordered The Deuce season 3 and in the process also confirmed that the third season will be the show’s final. Variety was the first to report the renewal.
The Deuce is just the latest in a long line of collaborations between David Simon and HBO. Former Baltimore Sun reporter Simon and his writing partner George Pelecanos were the driving forces behind GOAT TV drama candidate The Wire. Simon and Pelecanos then went on to have a fruitful relationship with HBO, creating shows and limited series like Treme, Generation Kill, and Show Me A Hero. The Deuce has arguably been the most successful of these collaborations since The Wire.
The Deuce seasons 1 and 2 have told the story of New York City in a very specific time of its lifecycle: the 1970s. The show follows the world of the sex trade in ’70s Times Square as it transitions from the streets to behind closed door and eventually in front of cameras. The Deuce season 2 premiered on September 9th and will run for nine episodes.
Simon and Pelecanos populated the cast of The Deuce with favourites from their previous HBO go-arounds, including The Wire‘s Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Gbenga Akinnagbe, Chris Bauer, and Method Man to go along with Show Me A Hero‘s Dominique Fishback. The cast is led by two big names, however, in Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco. Franco was subject to allegations of sexual misconduct that came to light last year.
The show was subject to some controversy following allegations made against Franco of sexual misconduct in January. HBO reported that they looked into Franco’s behaviour on set and “felt comfortable” moving forward with a second season. That must remain the case for a third season as well. Per a post on Simon’s Twitter, it would appear that three seasons and out has been the plan all along.
There is no word yet on when The Deuce season 3 may debut or how many episodes it will contain.