Jeff Bridges’ FX Thriller ‘The Old Man’ Canceled After Season 2

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The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges, has been canceled by FX. Based on Thomas Perry’s best-selling novel of the same name, The Old Man was developed by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine and premiered in 2022, before returning in 2024 for its second and now final season. According to Deadline (which first reported the news), production delays for The Old Man significantly impacted audience interest, ultimately leading to its cancelation.

The FX thriller follows Bridges’ Dan Chase, a former CIA operative forced back into action as he is hunted by his former organization. The Old Man also stars John Lithgow as former FBI Assistant Director Harold Harper, who has a decades-long history with Chase that shifts as the series progresses, and Alia Shawkat as FBI Agent Angela Adams, who is Harper’s apprentice and, as audiences later learn, Chase’s long-lost daughter.

Production issues had plagued the show since its first season when filming was initially shut down due to Covid-19. Months later, the crew returned to the set, but production was delayed for a second time after Bridges was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma; while in treatment, Bridges contracted Covid-19. Production for the series’ first critically lauded season was finally completed when Bridges went into remission about a year later. Shooting the show’s second season was also delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes.

Season 2 finally returned this September, but failed to live up to the reception its first season enjoyed. Critics called The Old Man‘s sophomore season tedious, tangled, and turgid (for reference, The Old Man Season 1 boasts a near-perfect 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, while its second season score fell to 64%). When it premiered in 2022, The Old Man became the most-watched FX series debut on Hulu during its opening weekend; it amassed critical praise and earned a quick Season 2 renewal. The Old Man racked up accolades for its first season, including an Emmy nomination for Bridges and Golden Globes nods for Bridges and Lithgow.

‘The Old Man’ Season 3 Would’ve Explored Dan’s Relationship with His Daughter

Just last month, shortly after the show’s second season concluded, Bridges and Steinberg spoke with The Wrap about their Season 3 hopes. Bridges shared that he had “signed on for three” and loved working with the cast and crew of The Old Man. He expressed excitement about “where the story is going.” Steinberg, on his end, hinted that Season 3 would navigate the newfound relationship between Bridges’ Chase and Shawkat’s Angela:

“As much ground as the story’s covered already, in a way, the relationship between Jeff and Alia’s characters has really just started. What I’d be excited for in Season 3 is to watch them have to occupy the same space in the story and deal with each other. They don’t get to use a phone as a buffer,” Steinberg said. “We all feel really good about the story we’re telling and the team that’s been built.”

It’s a shame that fans of The Old Man won’t see the next chapter of Dan Chase’s story, and how his relationship with his newly discovered daughter would unfold. But Bridges is still plenty busy, with several projects in the works, including next year’s Tron: Ares, The Carnival at the End of Days, where he’ll star opposite Johnny Depp and Adam Drive, and Grendel, where he’ll voice the titular character. Both seasons of The Old Man are available to stream on Hulu through the link below:

Watch The Old Man

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