HBO has renewed drama series The Deuce starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal for a second season.
Named after the local slang for New York’s fabled 42nd Street, The Deuce began its eight-episode season on September 10 and centres on the rise of the porn culture in New York from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s.
George Pelecanos and David Simon created and serve as executive producers on the series. Nina Kostroff Noble and James Franco also serve as executive producers, while Marc Henry Johnson and Gyllenhaal serve as producers.
Pelecanos and Simon previously collaborated on HBO series The Wire and Treme. Michelle MacLaren served as executive producer on the pilot and directed the pilot and the final episode of the first season.
The Deuce follows a cast of barkeeps, prostitutes, pimps, police and nightlife denizens as they swirl through a world of sex, crime, high times and violence, and the porn business begins its climb from Mafia-backed massage parlors and film labs to legitimacy and cultural permanence.
Casey Bloys, president of HBO programming, made the announcement and said, “We are thrilled to continue our creative collaboration with master storytellers David Simon and George Pelecanos. Their unique gift for immersing the audience in their dark and edgy worlds brings a brilliant verisimilitude unlike any other. With the remarkably talented Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco leading an exceptional cast, we look forward to delving deeper as this captivating story evolves.”
Simon added: “Everyone involved with this project is genuinely grateful to HBO for the chance to take the narrative where it needs to go. We knew the theme and purpose of the story, but there are many people in the entertainment industry who might not have it told, or worse, would have told it for the wrong reasons. HBO is a serious outfit. And they don’t scare.”
Pelecanos said: “Many thanks to HBO, our longtime partners, who’ve now given us the opportunity to continue to tell this compelling story. We’re ready to get back to work with our amazing cast and crew.”
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