Anthology series Hap & Leonard has been renewed for a third season by U.S. broadcaster SundanceTV, TVWise has learned. Six episodes have been ordered for season three, matching the orders for seasons one and two.
Hap & Leonard follows two lifelong best friends: Hap Collins, an East Texas white guy with a weakness for Southern women, and Leonard Pine, a gay, black Vietnam vet with a hot temper. Each season the duo solves a new mystery. The drama series is produced by AMC Studios and stars James Purefoy (The Following, Episodes) and Michael Kenneth Williams (The Wire, When We Rise).
“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 of 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.”
Season three will take inspiration from The Two-Bear Mambo, the third installment of Joe R. Lansdale’s book series. Season one was inspired by the first Hap and Leonard novel Savage Season, while season two drew from the second book in the series, Mucho Mojo. Casting for supporting roles in the new season is set to commence shortly. John Wirth will return as showrunner and will executive produce alongside Jim Mickle, Nick Damici, Jeremy Platt, and Linda Moran return as executive producers.
Hap & Leonard, which is one of SundanceTV’s few wholly owned original series, has not one but two UK broadcasters. Entertainment One (eOne), who handle international sales for for AMC Studios produced shows, licensed first window UK rights to Hap & Leonard to Amazon Prime Video UK, who make new episodes available to subscribers close behind their initial broadcast on SundanceTV. AMC’s UK channel, AMC Global also recently acquired and aired the show’s first season.