Did The Franchise Season 2 get cancelled by HBO? Details explored

Daniel Kumar and the rest of the Tecto crew will not be returning to our TV screens in HBO's The Franchise after all. Looks like after contemplating for almost a month and a half after the finale, HBO chose not to renew the show created by Jon Brown.

Brown previously served as a writer for the acclaimed HBO series Succession. Looks like viewership might be the reason behind the cancellation.

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Why didn't HBO didn't renew The Franchise for a second season?

The Franchise aired its first episode on October 6th, 2024, and ran for eight weeks, with the last episode airing on 24th November. While superhero satires are common nowadays as both Marvel and DC are in a rough patch, The Franchise promised something different. This satire shows the ground reality of the cast and crew working on superhero movies.

Despite the critical acclaim, the show failed to capture audience viewership. The Franchise failed to make it to Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming rankings. Therefore, HBO decided to pull the plug on The Franchise Season 2. However, it did express the chance to work on another opportunity with the show's creators and cast. Here is the network's statement:

"We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the tremendously talented team behind The Franchise, especially Sam Mendes, Jon Brown, Armando Iannucci, and this hilarious ensemble of actors. While we won’t be moving forward with another season, we look forward to collaborating with all of them in the future."

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Who was involved in The Franchise?

As stated before the show was created by Jon Brown, someone who has previously worked as a writer on the HBO hit Succession. Other than Brown, the show also boasted of having Sam Mendes, who had directed Skyfall, and Armando Iannucci, the creator of Veep as producers. Apart from that, it also had a talented cast consisting of:

1. Himesh Patel as Protagonist Daniel Kumar
2. Lolly Adefope as Dagmara "Dag" Nwaeze
3. Aya Cash as Anita
4. Darren Goldstein as Pat Shannon
5. Richard E. Grant as Peter Fairchild
6. Daniel Brühl as Eric Bouchard
7. Jessica Hynes as Steph
8. Billy Magnussen as Adam Randolph
9. Isaac Powell as Bryson

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What was The Franchise about?

The Franchise was an HBO show that revolved around the cast and crew of a tentpole superhero movie. The protagonist is 1st AD, or first assistant director Daniel Kumar, trying his best to make sure that the superhero movie he is working on is on track.

During the finale of The Franchise, Daniel is given a major opportunity, leaving the door open for The Franchise Season 2, which is now closed.

So, all the characters, are everyday people, who are just doing their job. But the intended target of this satire is studio executives who upend the lives of these hard-working crew members with their insane release schedules. One of the darkly comedic moments comes from the protagonist telling the VFX worker who had already spent hours working on rendering a scene to change it and rework it.

That moment is a reference to countless news stories about the brutal working conditions in the VFX industry. Even the protagonist Daniel Kumar doesn't seem to have a life apart from working on these movies.

In one of the earlier episodes, we are told that after working till midnight, he can hardly rest for a few hours and return to the set. This show humanizes the hardworking behind-the-scenes crew members of the film industry.

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The eight episodes of The Franchise are available on Max, and the closing moment of the last episode will feel weird now that the show hasn't been renewed. But the cancellation of The Franchise Season 2 doesn't mean that superhero satires from a similar perspective are dead.

The MCU miniseries Wonder Man with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is expected to be released in December of this year.