Lovecraft Country was one of HBO’s biggest and most talked-about shows in 2020 — here’s why it was canceled and what season 2 would have been about. Based on the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country leaned into H.P. Lovecraft horror as it followed Atticus Freeman, Leti, and his Uncle George across the Jim Crow South in the 1950s in search of Atticus’ father and to answer a magical mystery.
The season 1 finale concluded the primary plot that kicked off the show while leaving the door open for more storylines down the line. The series followed Atticus and Leti as they faced racism and eldritch terrors, with the story combining the real with the fantasy to deliver a riveting story filled with magic, real-life horror, and supernatural monsters. Lovecraft Country wrapped its first season in October last year and, despite being based on a single novel, the series did so well there was an expectation it would return for season 2. Big Little Lies and The Flight Attendant, which were both based on one novel, were renewed for a second season, so the same could have been done for Lovecraft Country.
Casey Bloys, HBO and HBO Max’s Chief Content Officer, revealed in February that showrunner Misha Green and her writing team were still working on crafting a story for a potential season 2. Unfortunately, that story won’t be coming to fruition because HBO cancelled the fantasy-horror series in early July.
Why Lovecraft Country Was Cancelled After Season 1
In a statement, Green and the fans were thanked, but it wasn’t revealed exactly why Lovecraft Country was cancelled. It's doubtful it was due to bad ratings, since the season 1 finale brought in 1.5 million viewers. That said, the cancellation likely happened because the series already covered the entirety of Ruff’s novel by the end of its first season. Without any additional source material to follow, the HBO series would have hadto pave its own path (again, not an impossible feat). The real reason why the show was cancelled was possibly tied to the fact that Lovecraft Country killed off several crucial characters by the end of the season, including Atticus, Uncle George, Montrose, and presumably Leti’s sister Ruby. Of course, the show involved magic, so it’s possible they could have been brought back in some capacity for season 2. Since then, however, Jonathan Majors and Wunmi Mosaku have gone on to star in Loki and if HBO couldn’t get them back for another season, and if their characters’ deaths were permanent, then it makes sense why the show wouldn’t want to go on without them.
What Lovecraft Country Season 2 Would've Been About
There was certainly a plan to continue the story, with the season 1 finale leaving plenty of storylines unresolved. Misha Green shared a few details from the season 2 pitch that included what the story would've been about in Lovecraft Country season 2. The showrunner shared a map of the United States, one that was now divided into four different sections — the Tribal Nations of the West, the Whitelands, the New Negro Republic, and the Jefferson Commonwealth — that made up this “new world” now called the Sovereign States of America. The Whitelands are where the zombies, which were created by “the Origin” spell, now live. It’s a dangerous area and one that is hard to cross as it splits the east and west sides of the country. Green confirmed season 2 would have been called Lovecraft Country: Supremacy.
Green also shared further details, including the next generation of characters — Diana "Dee" Freeman, George Freeman (Atticus' son), Billie Baptiste, Wi Sapa "Black Moon" and Xochimitl "Flowered Arrow" — and the "the origin" spell and "the source" would be defined. The latter was revealed as where the initial zombie outbreak originated, marked on the country's map with a large X. Further plot details haven’t been revealed so it’s hard to gauge what the full extent of the storyline might have been for Lovecraft Country season 2. Green’s details revealed the season would have been set several years after the events of the season 1 finale. There’s a chance Atticus and Leti’s son would’ve been the primary focus of Lovecraft Country season 2 alongside his cousin and the other characters listed. Perhaps one day Green will provide even more information about what could have been, but the show’s cancellation certainly stopped any further development of the story.