‘American Rust’ Canceled By Prime Video After Streamer Had Rescued Showtime Series
American Rust has been canceled for a second time. Prime Video has opted not to renew the drama starring Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney for a third season, Deadline has confirmed. The news comes four months after Season 2, titled American Rust: Broken Justice, premiered on the platform and had a quiet run.
The cancellation was foreshadowed by the recent casting of Tierney as a new series regular on NBC’s Law & Order.
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American Rust has a long history. It initially was ordered straight-to-series at USA Network in November 2017, but a few months later, the network opted not to move forward with it. At the time, sources said the order was contingent on the producers finding a big star for the lead, which didn’t happen. It then moved to Showtime, with Daniels attached to star and executive produce, where it was picked up and aired for one season. The network announced in January 2022 that American Rust would not be renewed. Amazon Freevee picked up the drama in June 2022 following its cancellation by Showtime. It eventually migrated to sibling Prime Video, which carried the second season.
Based on Philipp Meyer’s novel, the first season of American Rust explored the tattered American Dream in a Rust Belt town in southwest Pennsylvania through the eyes of police chief Del Harris. Harris becomes compromised when the son of the woman he loves (Tierney) is accused of murder, and he is forced to decide what he’s willing to do to protect him.
American Rust: Broken Justice takes us back to Buell, PA. Del Harris (Daniels) and Grace Poe (Tierney) try to rebuild their lives after the harrowing events of Season 1. Season 2 picks up with a string of seemingly unrelated murders, hinting at a much larger conspiracy that threatens everyone in this small, tight-knit town.
In addition to Daniels and Tierney, the series’ cast across both seasons included David Alvarez as Isaac English, Alex Neustaedter as Billy Poe, Julie Mayorga as Lee English, Mark Pellegrino as Virgil Poe, Rob Yang as Chief Steve Park, and Kyle Beltran as Detective Fisher.
New Season 2 cast additions included Luna Lauren Velez, Marc Menchaca, Nick Sandow, Britian Seibert, Christopher Denham, Amelia Workman, Leon Addison Brown and Sara Lindsey.
American Rust: Broken Justice was executive produced by Dan Futterman, Adam Rapp, Jeff Daniels, Paul Martino, Michael De Luca, Ivan Schneeberg, David Fortier, Nick Nantell, Katie O’Connell Marsh, and Elisa Ellis. The series was produced and distributed globally by Boat Rocker.
The cancellation was first reported by Tribune-Review.
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