David Farnor | On 16, Feb 2018

Hap and Leonard are reuniting for another misadventure this March on Amazon Prime Video.

Based on the novels by Joe R Lansdale, the swamp noir thrillers follow the two lifelong best friends – one, an East Texas white guy with a weakness for Southern women, and the other, a gay, black Vietnam vet with a hot temper.

“Hap and Leonard’s screenplay makes every twist and shift in tone feel like an organic extension of their characters: eccentric, sinister, sweet and faintly poignant,” we wrote in our reviews of Season 2.

Now, the duo are returning for a third run, with James Purefoyand Michael Kenneth Williams reprising their roles. They will be joined by an ensemble cast including Oscar-winner Louis Gossett Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman, Roots), Golden Globe nominee Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law, Psych), Andrew Dice Clay (Blue Jasmine, Entourage) and Laura Allen (American Horror Story: Cult, Mona Lisa Smile).

Set in East Texas just before Christmas of 1989, Season 3 sees Hap and Leonard scramble to locate Florida Grange, who has gone missing in the Klan-infested town of Grovetown. Once again at the centre of an impending storm of Biblical proportion, Hap and Leonard find themselves at odds with a cast of characters so tough they could chew the bumper off a pickup truck, including a possibly corrupt sheriff and the leader of the Caucasian Knights. The boys learn that the good guys don’t always win and nobody beats Mother Nature.

John Wirth (Hell on Wheels, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) returns as showrunner and executive producer for series three, and Jim Mickle, Nick Damici, Jeremy Platt and Linda Moran return as executive producers. Episodes were directed by Jim Mickle, Abe Sylvia and Michael Katleman.

Season 3 will premiere on 8th March, with episodes arriving on Amazon Prime Video weekly on Thursdays, shortly after their US broadcast.

 

 

Hap and Leonard renewed for Season 3

4th May 2017

Hap and Leonard has been renewed for a third season.

The show, which stars James Purefoy and Michael Kenneth Williams, is a AMC Studios production for SundanceTV in the US. With Amazon Prime Video snapping up the exclusive UK rights, it has gone on to become one of the best TV shows on the streaming service, with its second season drawing to an impressive, moving close only a couple of weeks ago. For those already missing the duo, though, there is good news: we haven’t seen the last of them.

The darkly comic series is based on the celebrated book series of the same name by famed author Joe R. Lansdale, and follows the two lifelong best friends – one, an East Texas white guy with a weakness for Southern women, and the other, a gay, black Vietnam vet with a hot temper.

Set in the late 1980s, the third season of Hap and Leonard will take inspiration from The Two-Bear Mambo, the third of Lansdale’s novels. (Season 1 was inspired by the first, Savage Season, and Season 2 by Mucho Mojo, the second book.)

“At once darkly funny and socially relevant, there’s no other series like the southern-noir, Hap and Leonard, and we couldn’t be prouder that it will continue for another season on SundanceTV,” said Jan Diedrichsen, general manager, SundanceTV and Sundance Now. “James and Michael bring new depth and dimension to the buddy-action genre, and Joe Lansdale’s brilliant work continues to be in excellent hands with John Wirth and company.”

John Wirth, who stepped up as showrunner for Season 2, will return to do the same for Season 3, with creators Jim Mickle and Nick Damici exec-producing alongside Wirth, Jeremy Platt, and Linda Moran.

“AMC/SundanceTV is one of the original purveyors of ‘art’ on television and I’m pleased to be continuing my long relationship with Charlie, Jan, Joel, Susie, their strong creative execs and our peerless cast and crew,” added Wirth.

“We’re beyond psyched to bring the boys back for a third helping of mayhem. It’s a show that doesn’t fold up neatly into one defined box and that’s what makes it special, so thanks to SundanceTV for believing in it and championing it from day one,” commented Mickle. “We also owe a big thank you to the fans for the phenomenal response so far.”

Each season of the anthology series features new supporting characters and a new mystery for Hap and Leonard to solve, with casting for Season 3 to commence shortly.

Never seen Hap and Leonard? You can catch up with Season 1 and 2 on Amazon Prime Video – and read our reviews here.

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