The Deuce was in the works for a long time before it made its debut on HBO earlier this month with a cast of dramatic heavy-hitters and a unique period premise. Still, it's not the first time in recent years that HBO has premiered a flashy period piece with a stellar cast, and there was no guaranteeing that The Deuce wouldn't go the way of Vinyl. Luckily for fans who have already gotten hooked on the new show, HBO has some good news. The Deuce has officially been renewed for Season 2.
The renewal comes as something of a surprise, as the show only debuted on HBO on September 10, although the premiere was available to stream early back in August. Only two episodes have aired so far, and the early numbers bode well for the rest of the season. The Deuce actually improved in both ratings and viewership from the first episode to the second episode. The first episode scored a 0.24 in the valuable 18-49 demographic and was watched by 0.83 million people in the Live+Same day tallies, and the second episode was bumped up to a 0.28 in the demo and 0.84 million viewers, for respective boosts of 16.67% and 1.08%.
There's also the point that The Deuce is headlined by a couple of pretty big names. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays leading lady Eileen "Candy" Merrell, and James Franco actually plays two roles. Franco portrays brothers Vincent Martino and Frankie Martino, a la Ewan McGregor in Fargo. Throw in the creators George Pelecanos and David Simon of The Wire, and The Deuce has a lot going for it for a Season 2.
If you haven't tuned in to The Deuce yet, you're missing out on a new take on the rise of porn culture in New York City. The action starts off in the early 1970s and will progress through to the 1980s. Episodes follow bartenders, prostitutes, pimps, law enforcement officers, and creatures of the New York nightlife during the porn revolution of culture. HBO has not yet announced which members of the cast will be back for Season 2, but we can hope that at least most of them will reprise their roles for another batch of episodes.
You can catch new episodes of The Deuce on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. Given its time slot on Sundays, it's possible that The Deuce got a boost from Game of Thrones fans in need of some new entertainment after Season 7 came to an end. Its numbers are nowhere near those achieved by Game of Thrones, but given that Game of Thrones was setting and breaking its own records throughout Season 7, we shouldn't hold lower ratings against The Deuce.
For your viewing options now and in the coming weeks, take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule and our 2017 Netflix premiere guide.
