Mr. Mercedes Renewed For Season 2
The Audience Network's Stephen King-adapted crime series Mr. Mercedes will receive a second season order of 10 episodes, according to a news item in The Hollywood Reporter.
Following a retired detective named Bill Hodges (played by Brendan Gleeson) as he attempts to capture a diabolical killer with a penchant for cat-and-mouse games (Harry Treadaway), Mr. Mercedes' first season is an adaptation of material from the book of the same name by King. It was the first of three books in what is known as the Bill Hodges trilogy.
The news of renewal comes ahead of the first season's finale episode, giving absent viewers an incentive to tune in if they haven't already with the promise of a story that will continue to evolve and unfold. Production on the second season will reportedly take place in February, with producers aiming for a premiere date of late 2018.
Mr. Mercedes is produced by David E. Kelley, who created The Practice and Big Little Lies. Prior to the release of the first season, Kelley shared his plan for the series, hoping to use each season to adapt the next book in King's Bill Hodges trilogy. With the announcement of the second season renewal, a crucial first step has been taken toward attaining that goal. Series director Jack Bender will also return for season two.
The first book's sequels, Finders Keepers and End of Watch, follow Detective Hodges as he comes out of retirement to set up his own detective agency, with the aim of hunting down more deranged criminals. If the TV series is renewed for a third season, Kelley says he would be interested in exploring the world beyond the books.
"Going into this, the idea is that we have three books," Kelley said, prior to the show's successful run. "It would make for three seasons, and then, who knows? Maybe longer if we're having fun."
In addition to Gleeson and Treadaway, Mr. Mercedes stars Jharrel Jerome, Robert Stanton, Breeda Wool, Holland Taylor, Kelly Lynch, and Scott Lawrence.
The first season's finale airs on Wednesday, October 11.