PITTSBURGH — Who says every show that films in western Pennsylvania gets canceled after one season?
To be fair, that trend seemed to continue earlier this year when Showtime opted against ordering a second season of “American Rust,” the television adaptation of Philipp Meyer’s 2009 novel of the same name that is set in the fictional Rust Belt town of Buell, and was shot throughout the Pittsburgh area last year.
“American Rust” fans can now rest easy, as it was announced Thursday that the series has been picked up for a second season by Amazon Freevee, the free streaming service formerly known as IMDb TV. Stars Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney are set to return, according to an Amazon Freevee press release. The show will also continue to film in western Pennsylvania, showrunner Dan Futterman told the Post-Gazette Thursday afternoon.
“You can’t do this show anywhere else,” Futterman said. “It’s a character, the city of Pittsburgh, and also the south of there along the Mon River. ... I’m really grateful to Amazon Freevee for recognizing the value in this show and giving us a chance to keep telling this story. We have a lot of story left.”
Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, told the Post-Gazette in January shortly after “American Rust” was canceled by Showtime, that original producer Boat Rocker had already started engaging in discussions about finding a new home for it elsewhere.
“We are very happy that ‘American Rust’ will be returning to the region,” she told the Post-Gazette Thursday. “Season 2!”
The first season of “American Rust” followed Buell police Chief Del Harris (Daniels) as he was caught between his duties and his love for Grace Poe (Tierney) after her son is accused of murder. The Season 1 cast also included Bill Camp, Alex Neustaedter, David Alvarez, Julia Mayorga, Rob Yang and Mark Pellegrino.
Futterman said that if all goes well, production on Season 2 will begin in November and continue around the region for about four months. Boat Rocker is still on board for season two as well.
“We’re delighted to work with the wonderful team at Amazon Freevee to bring ‘American Rust’ back for a second season,” Steve Lescroart, Boat Rocker Studios’ president of scripted content, said in that Amazon Freevee release.
“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, [executive producer] Adam Rapp, and the entire cast and crew, season two is sure to enthrall viewers who enjoy premium content. We’re really pleased to have the opportunity to continue telling this story.”
Amazon Freevee was in Pittsburgh last summer filming the single-camera comedy “Sprung,” which still doesn’t have a release date.
Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming at Amazon Freevee, said in that release that “’American Rust’ is exactly the type of gritty and engaging storytelling Amazon Freevee audiences love” and that they “can’t wait to ... continue the story that intrigued audiences during the first season.”
Season 1 ended on multiple cliffhangers that would have been left dangling forever without a Season 2. Futtterman, whose grandmother was born in Braddock, said that it was “painful to feel like we couldn’t resolve any of” Season 1's loose threads. So did Daniels, who was a “driving force” in getting the show renewed, Futterman said.
Daniels said in the Amazon Freevee release that “our authentic, realistically told story is built for streaming” and that Freevee is “where I want to be.”
Futtterman is so excited to be bringing “American Rust” back to Pittsburgh that he doesn’t even mind the fact Season 2 will be largely shot in the dead of winter. He knows that Pittsburgh crews are going to be busy with a lot of Hollywood projects over the next few months, so he hopes they’ll be available when “American Rust” sets up shop in Pittsburgh again.
“To the crew,” Futterman pleaded, “please don’t take anything that’s going to take you away from us.”
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