HBO Renews Sharon Horgan Comedy Series Youth for Season 2
HBO Renews Sharon Horgan Comedy Youth for Second Season Following Strong Global Launch
The HBO original comedy series Youth, created by and starring Sharon Horgan, has officially been renewed for a second season, according to Variety. The renewal comes less than 24 hours after the airing of the season one finale, as reported by Deadline. All eight episodes of the first season are currently available to stream on HBO Max.
The series follows Alex, a 50-year-old divorcee and literary agent who handles dating, care for her ailing parents, and parenting her son, Ruari. The first season cast features Rupert Friend as Patrick, Sharlene Whyte as Sam, Aran Murphy as Ruari, and Robbie Gee as Frank. Production is handled by Merman.
Positive Reviews and Global Viewership Secure Season Two
According to HBO, the comedy ranks among the top five HBO comedy launches globally. The first season secured a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers praised the show upon its debut, with TIME calling it “spit-takingly funny” and The Guardian describing it as “mesmerisingly perfect.” Variety highlighted Horgan as possessing a “magnetic screen presence” and acting as a “sharp comic writer.”
Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO Programming and head of HBO and HBO Max comedy series, addressed the renewal by stating that Horgan creates a show that causes viewers to “howl with laughter and with tears – often in the same moment.” Gravitt added that each performance in the ensemble is delightful.
Finale Cliffhangers Set up Upcoming Plot Directions
The first season concluded with several open-ended plot points following the eight-episode run. In the finale, Alex ends her relationship with Patrick after finding a pros and cons list that includes an inability to have children in the latter column. She subsequently has a one-night stand with her nemesis Malcolm, played by Douglas Hodge, and wakes up to discover that her boss Sam has signed Malcolm as a client. Alongside these relationship developments, the character deals with a urinary tract infection and ongoing family friction with her son.
Horgan addressed the pickup with humor in a statement released by the network. “I’m so happy to get another opportunity to live out my emotional and biological crises on HBO,” Horgan said. “I can’t think of a better platform to air my UTI problems on. The response to Youth has been beyond what I could have hoped for.”
The series marks Horgan’s return to the network seven years after her HBO project, Divorce, concluded its three-season run. Beyond her work on Youth, Horgan is the co-creator of Catastrophe and is behind Apple black comedy Bad Sisters, Starz’s Shining Vale and BBC comedy Motherland.
Production Team and Creative Execution
Behind the camera, Merman produces the series with Faye Dorn serving as an executive producer alongside Jim Kleverweis and Dawn Shadforth, who also directs. Merman’s slate also includes Amandaland, Bad Sisters, and Vladimir.
No premiere date for the second season of Youth has been announced by HBO as production planning gets underway.
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