It's not curtains for American Rust after all. After the series ran for a single season on Showtime, it was axed with no apparent plans for a second season. The American Rust team did not give up hope for finding a new home elsewhere, and per Variety, that has just happened as Amazon Freevee has officially picked up the series for season 2.
“American Rust is exactly the type of gritty and engaging storytelling Amazon Freevee audiences love, and we could not be more excited to bring this prestige series to our customers, free of charge,” Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming at Amazon Freevee, said in a statement. “We can’t wait to dive in with Boat Rocker and Dan Futterman to continue the story that intrigued audiences during the first season, and to see the evolution of characters so expertly portrayed by Jeff and Maura in this next chapter.”
“I’m grateful to Amazon Freevee for giving us the chance to make season 2 of American Rust,” said series star Jeff Daniels. “Set inside a struggling American small town, our authentic, realistically told story is built for streaming. The movies they don’t make anymore are being made as series at places like Amazon Freevee. It’s where I want to be.”
Steve Lescroart, president of Boat Rocker Studios’ scripted division, added: "We’re delighted to work with the wonderful team at Amazon Freevee to bring American Rust back for a second season. The source material for this series is incredibly rich, and when you add in the world-class talents of Dan Futterman, Jeff Daniels, Maura Tierney, Adam Rapp, and the entire cast and crew, season 2 is sure to enthrall viewers who enjoy premium content. We’re really pleased to have the opportunity to continue telling this story.”
There must certainly be a lot of readers wondering what exactly Amazon Freevee is. It's the free streaming service that was previously dubbed IMDbTV before it was rebranded as Amazon Freevee in April. Though it's ad-supported, the streaming service is free which will give anyone access to watch the new episodes of American Rust.
American Rust Is Based on the Original Novel
American Rust is based on the novel of the same name by Philipp Meyer. It takes place in a Rust Belt town and follows Daniels as a police chief who becomes conflicted when the son of the woman he loves (Maura Tierney) gets accused of murder.
Both Daniels and Tierney are set to confirm for season 2 on Amazon Freevee. The series was adapted by Dan Futterman who executive produces alongside Daniels, Adam Rapp, Paul Martino, Michael De Luca, and Katie O'Connell Marsh for Boat Rocker, as well as Elisa Ellis.
The series originally premiered in September on Showtime and ran for nine episodes, finishing up season 1 in November 2021. It was officially announced in January that Showtime would not be moving forward with a second season. You can find out more about American Rust's new home at Amazon.com.