Dan Chase is officially going off the grid—for good this time. FX has pulled the plug on Jeff Bridges-starring series The Old Man after just two seasons, leaving fans without closure for the CIA operative turned fugitive.
Behind the scenes, the series experienced a challenging run, with plenty of starts and stops over a span of around five years. Production kicked off in 2019 and was quickly thrown off course by the pandemic. Another pause followed for Bridges’ cancer treatment. Still, against the odds, The Old Man premiered in June 2022 and smashed records as FX’s most-watched Hulu debut and scored the top cable series launch since early 2021.
Season two wasn’t spared from disruptions, either. The Writers Guild of America strike threw yet another wrench into production, resulting in a massive two-year-plus gap between seasons. According to Deadline, the outlet that broke the news, this delay proved too much for a relatively new series to overcome. The second season struggled to recapture the same viewership magic as chapter one.
Still, The Old Man remained a hit with critics. The show’s second season recently earned it three Critics Choice nominations, including Best Drama Series and acting nods for both Bridges and John Lithgow.
OTHER POSTS:
Based on Thomas Perry’s bestselling novel, The Old Man centred on Chase, a retired CIA operative forced back into action when his murky past catches up with him. The show’s ensemble cast included Amy Brenneman, Alia Shawkat, and Gbenga Akinnagbe. Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine steered the ship as creators, with executive producers that included Bridges, Warren Littlefield, and Dan Shotz, among others.
