We've got a sad update for those of you who are fans of The Old Man on FX. I know that after the first season and when FX renewed the show, so many of you were excited to see more and couldn't wait for The Old Man season 2 to come out. It finally did premiere in September 2024. However, the season 2 finale now serves as the series finale.
FX has chosen to cancel The Old Man after two seasons, per TVLine. According to the news outlet, part of the reason was the long two-year gap between the first and second seasons. And really, that was out of production's hands. The writers strike and actors strike that began in the summer of 2023 paused all filming and work on the show, just like basically almost everything else in Hollywood.
And it looks like even though most productions, especially the bigger ones, have been able to recover and get away with a large gap between seasons, the drama thriller couldn't do the same. There's so many shows that take a two-year gap now. I feel like it's the new norm, which it shouldn't be. Though perhaps while the series does have a good and dedicated following, it wasn't enough compared to let's say Stranger Things or other shows where fans are willing to wait that long.
It truly is a shame because The Old Man is a good show and different from other projects out there that have felt repetitive. Fans like it, critics like it, and even FX backed it up well. However the viewership numbers just weren't there the way they were for the first season. This is definitely a huge disappointment, and I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the action drama so soon.
Especially with the way The Old Man season 2 ended, seeing Emily and Dan reunited but her now in charge of the mines and adamant on keeping that power. It's a complicated relationship with her dad. And there was definitely more to explore here. But I guess we'll never find out how it all would have played out, especially if Dan brought his alias and old self Luke Barlow back. I guess we at least have the book by author Thomas Perry to go read and find out exactly how things end. Overall, I do appreciate that the network didn't make us wait too long about the future of the series though. Sigh. It is what it is.
Both seasons of The Old Man are streaming on Hulu.