HBO Renews Mark & Jay Duplass’ ‘Togetherness’ for Season 2
It’s time to get the band back “together.” HBO has picked up a second season of the half-hour comedy “Togetherness,” written and directed by Mark and Jay Duplass. The brothers issued an aptly joint statement below.
“We began our love affair with HBO in our parents’ living room in 1983, and to have these brilliant creative people put a ring on our fingers with a second season of ‘Togetherness’ is a real-life dream come true.”
The brothers have been having a bit of a moment over the past month, starting with the debut of their first TV show in “Togetherness” on January 11. They then signed a deal with Netflix to make four movies for the streaming service on January 23 and also executive produced an independently-financed series that premiered at Sundance Monday afternoon (“Animals.”).
The suddenly red-hot filmmakers had to be a factor in HBO’s decision to renew the series, as initial numbers were fairly soft. Only 427,000 viewers tuned in for the series premiere, less than the 520,000 people who watched the November premiere of “Getting On” in 2013 but more than the 183,000 fans of “Looking” who tuned in for its 2015 premiere. Though none of these numbers are massive by any means, each comedy has now earned a second season on HBO, which considers awards potential, critical praise and appeal to new subscriber demos when choosing to renew or cancel its shows.
Having the Duplass brothers on its payroll can’t be a bad thing right now, and the first season earned considerable praise across the board, including an “A” review from Indiewire.
Production for Season 2 will begin sometime this year with a 2016 airdate in mind.
