Editor’s Note: This story contains spoilers through Episode 6 of “The Old Man.”
Lymphoma was one thing. When Jeff Bridges, 72, learned the cancer diagnosis, he had shot almost four and a half episodes out of a planned ten of “The Old Man” (FX). It was the “Crazy Heart” Oscar-winner’s first starring role in a TV series. He had jumped on board the show from uber-producer Warren Littlefield right off the pilot. And then the pandemic hit.
“The world fell apart,” said showrunner Jonathan Steinberg on Zoom, tracing the rollercoaster course of the series leading up to the July 21 cliffhanger Episode 7 finale. “And then the writers and the world were coming back together again. But while we were making it Jeff got sick.”
Littlefield had first called showrunner Steinberg back in 2017 when he landed the rights to Thomas Perry’s new thriller about an ex-Afghanistan CIA operative who is unearthed...
Lymphoma was one thing. When Jeff Bridges, 72, learned the cancer diagnosis, he had shot almost four and a half episodes out of a planned ten of “The Old Man” (FX). It was the “Crazy Heart” Oscar-winner’s first starring role in a TV series. He had jumped on board the show from uber-producer Warren Littlefield right off the pilot. And then the pandemic hit.
“The world fell apart,” said showrunner Jonathan Steinberg on Zoom, tracing the rollercoaster course of the series leading up to the July 21 cliffhanger Episode 7 finale. “And then the writers and the world were coming back together again. But while we were making it Jeff got sick.”
Littlefield had first called showrunner Steinberg back in 2017 when he landed the rights to Thomas Perry’s new thriller about an ex-Afghanistan CIA operative who is unearthed...
- 7/21/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
While The Old Man Season 1 finale has yet to air — it’s broadcast July 21 at 10/9c on FX — we already know there is going to be a second season. The renewal came soon after the series starring Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, and Amy Brenneman premiered on June 16 (and was the most-watched FX series debut on Hulu — it streams the next day — in its opening weekend). The series is based on Thomas Perry’s novel of the same name and follows Bridges’ Dan Chase, who has been living off the grid since leaving the CIA decades ago. He’s flushed out of hiding when an assassin comes after him. The FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Harold Harper (Lithgow) — working with his protégé (and Chase’s secret daughter) Angela Adams (Alia Shawkat) and CIA Special Agent Raymond Waters (E.J. Bonilla) — is called on to hunt Chase down because of their complicated past.
- 7/20/2022
- TV Insider
Jeff Bridges is staying off the grid after FX renewed The Old Man for a second season.
The drama series, which also stars John Lithgow and Amy Brenneman, will be back for a sophomore run after a strong linear and digital debut.
The Old Man, which is based on Thomas Perry’s bestselling book, launched on June 16 with its first two episodes. The network said that, per Nielsen live+3 numbers, that it was the most-watched cable series premiere since January 2021, beating 60 other premium and basic cable dramas, comedies and limited series. The company also said that it was the most-watched FX series debut on Hulu in its opening weekend, although it did not break out digital streaming numbers.
Cancellations/Renewals Scorecard: TV Shows Ended Or Continuing In 2021-22 Season
The series follows Dan Chase, played by Bridges, who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since.
The drama series, which also stars John Lithgow and Amy Brenneman, will be back for a sophomore run after a strong linear and digital debut.
The Old Man, which is based on Thomas Perry’s bestselling book, launched on June 16 with its first two episodes. The network said that, per Nielsen live+3 numbers, that it was the most-watched cable series premiere since January 2021, beating 60 other premium and basic cable dramas, comedies and limited series. The company also said that it was the most-watched FX series debut on Hulu in its opening weekend, although it did not break out digital streaming numbers.
Cancellations/Renewals Scorecard: TV Shows Ended Or Continuing In 2021-22 Season
The series follows Dan Chase, played by Bridges, who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since.
- 6/27/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Old Man” has been renewed for Season 2 at FX.
The drama series debuted on FX on June 16. The first season will consist of seven episodes total with the fourth set to air on June 30 before becoming available to stream on Hulu.
Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, centers on Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.
The series also stars John Lithgow as Harold Harper, the FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, as well as Alia Shawkat as Angela Adams, Harper’s protégé. E.J. Bonilla, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Amy Brenneman, Bill Heck, Leem Lubany, and Pej Vahdat also star.
“Jonathan E. Steinberg, Dan Shotz and Warren Littlefield have...
The drama series debuted on FX on June 16. The first season will consist of seven episodes total with the fourth set to air on June 30 before becoming available to stream on Hulu.
Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, centers on Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.
The series also stars John Lithgow as Harold Harper, the FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, as well as Alia Shawkat as Angela Adams, Harper’s protégé. E.J. Bonilla, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Amy Brenneman, Bill Heck, Leem Lubany, and Pej Vahdat also star.
“Jonathan E. Steinberg, Dan Shotz and Warren Littlefield have...
- 6/27/2022
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
(Warning: Spoilers for “The Old Man” Episode 3)
Through two episodes, FX’s “The Old Man” has made it a point to highlight how crucial the relationship is between lead character Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) and his daughter, Emily. Dan’s refusal to relinquish that relationship, as Harold Harper (Jon Lithgow) instructed in the first episode, is the entire catalyst behind his current predicament — you know, the whole being hunted by the FBI thing. Yet it was curious that audiences have only been given Emily’s perspective through phone calls from her father’s point of view through the first two episodes.
As it turns out, there was good reason for that. Tonight’s “critically important” reveal that Emily and Harold’s mentee, agent Angela Adams (played brilliantly by Alia Shawkat), are actually one in the same encapsulates the major themes of the series, according to the creatives behind it. Even...
Through two episodes, FX’s “The Old Man” has made it a point to highlight how crucial the relationship is between lead character Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) and his daughter, Emily. Dan’s refusal to relinquish that relationship, as Harold Harper (Jon Lithgow) instructed in the first episode, is the entire catalyst behind his current predicament — you know, the whole being hunted by the FBI thing. Yet it was curious that audiences have only been given Emily’s perspective through phone calls from her father’s point of view through the first two episodes.
As it turns out, there was good reason for that. Tonight’s “critically important” reveal that Emily and Harold’s mentee, agent Angela Adams (played brilliantly by Alia Shawkat), are actually one in the same encapsulates the major themes of the series, according to the creatives behind it. Even...
- 6/24/2022
- by Brandon Katz
- The Wrap
A compelling but uneven game of cat and mouse unfolds in “The Old Man,” Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine’s adaptation of the Thomas Perry novel of the same name. At the center are two former CIA agents, Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Harold Harper (John Lithgow), who take turns as the hunter and quarry, as well as the “old man” of the title.
But while the FX drama deals in such dichotomies—predator and prey, hero and villain—it’s much more ambiguous about morality than its source material. “The Old Man” reminds us (and then reminds us some more) that being the hero of a story is often a matter of perspective; sometimes, it’s simply a matter of time.
When we first meet Dan, he looks well past his prime—waking up throughout the night to pee, enduring condescending bromides about aging from a new doctor.
But while the FX drama deals in such dichotomies—predator and prey, hero and villain—it’s much more ambiguous about morality than its source material. “The Old Man” reminds us (and then reminds us some more) that being the hero of a story is often a matter of perspective; sometimes, it’s simply a matter of time.
When we first meet Dan, he looks well past his prime—waking up throughout the night to pee, enduring condescending bromides about aging from a new doctor.
- 6/15/2022
- by Danette Chavez
- The Wrap
The title of FX’s The Old Man doesn’t really tell you what kind of show it is. It could be a wacky multicamera sitcom about an ill-behaving senior citizen who gets kicked out of his retirement home and has to move in with his hipster grandson. It could be a whimsical dramedy about a retiree figuring out how to fill his days. Or it could be what it actually is: a thriller starring Jeff Bridges as a renegade former CIA operative who has to kill a lot of...
- 6/14/2022
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Jeff Bridges is back in action after a life-threatening battle with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Covid-19. At the Wednesday night premiere of his FX thriller “The Old Man”, the Oscar winner described the surreal experience of returning to set after a year-long hiatus due to his health struggles.
“I was sick for a year and then came back to work with all the same cast and crew, and it was like I had a bizarre dream or something,” Bridges told reporters on the red carpet at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Filming for the TV adaptation of Thomas Perry‘s 2017 novel was initially shut down in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After production resumed later in the fall with three episodes left to shoot, it was once again halted when Bridges was diagnosed with cancer and left to seek treatment.
While undergoing chemotherapy, Bridges contracted...
“I was sick for a year and then came back to work with all the same cast and crew, and it was like I had a bizarre dream or something,” Bridges told reporters on the red carpet at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Filming for the TV adaptation of Thomas Perry‘s 2017 novel was initially shut down in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After production resumed later in the fall with three episodes left to shoot, it was once again halted when Bridges was diagnosed with cancer and left to seek treatment.
While undergoing chemotherapy, Bridges contracted...
- 6/10/2022
- by Ashley Hume
- Variety Film + TV
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