HBO Renews Maggie Gyllenhaal Drama ‘The Deuce’ For Third and Final Season

Good news and bad news for fans of the David Simon drama The Deuce. HBO has decided to renew the series just a few episodes into its second season. But according to Deadline, the third season of The Deuce will be its last.

Starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Deuce follows the rise of the porn industry in New York’s Time Square from the early 70’s to the mid-80’s. It explores the rough and tumbles world that existed there until the rise of HIV, the violence of the cocaine epidemic and the renewed real estate market all ended the risqué turbulence.

Simon took to Twitter to express his gratitude to the cable network for allowing the series to tell its full story. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, Simon, together with co-creator George Pelecanos and the cast only intended three seasons for The Deuce ever since its premiere. Each season was intended to represent a different period of New York. The first season begins in 1971 followed by the second season picking up in 1977. The third season is planned to skip ahead into the early 80’s.

The second season of The Deuce premiered early on in September falling far below on ratings compared to its first season. The show has also suffered different controversies surrounding its cast and creators. Before the second season aired, Franco was caught up in sexual harassment allegations. The cable network came to his defense after investigating the claims and comfortably pushed through with the second season. Simon also received some heat in June. After publishing a comment on Twitter against Trump’s immigration policy, his account was temporarily revoked.

The Deuce’s third and final season is set to air sometime in 2019. It comes along with a big wave of HBO’s leading shows. This includes the much-awaited conclusion to Game of Thrones, the third season of True Detective, and the seventh season of Veep.