The Old Man, an acclaimed series starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow, has been canceled by FX after just two seasons. Although the program was warmly received by critics and earned strong ratings for its first season, the second run of episodes failed to capture the same numbers.
![[Bridges, who announced his diagnosis with cancer in 2020 before revealing the following year that the illness was in remission, is pictured at the CMA Awards in Nashville last month]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/02/93258275-14203913-Bridges_who_announced_his_diagnosis_with_cancer_in_2020_before_r-m-43_1734488395457.jpg)
There was a two-year delay between the seasons, owing to production being held up by the Hollywood strikes of summer 2023. Season one had previously been beset by its own postponements, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and 75-year-old Bridges' battle with cancer.
![[The Old Man was based on a 2017 novel of the same name by the thriller writer Thomas Perry about a retired CIA operative who retreats to a life off the grid]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/02/93258541-14203913-The_Old_Man_was_based_on_a_2017_novel_of_the_same_name_by_the_th-a-31_1734488187659.jpg)
Now the show has reached the end of its rocky road and will not be renewed for a third season, a report in Deadline confirmed this week. The Old Man was based on a 2017 novel of the same name by the thriller writer Thomas Perry about a retired CIA operative who retreats to a life off the grid.
![[John Lithgow plays the FBI's Harold Harper, who worked with Chase/Kohler as a spy in Afghanistan during that country's war with the Soviet Union]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/02/93258545-14203913-John_Lithgow_plays_the_FBI_s_Harold_Harper_who_worked_with_Chase-a-38_1734488244548.jpg)
The Old Man, an acclaimed series starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow, has been canceled by FX after just two seasons; Bridges pictured on season two. When season one reached the airwaves over the summer of 2022, it earned the best ratings of any season premiere on cable since January 2021.
![[There was a two-year delay between the seasons, owing to production being held up by the Hollywood strikes of last summer]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/02/93258537-14203913-There_was_a_two_year_delay_between_the_seasons_owing_to_producti-m-35_1734488208650.jpg)
However the second season - which arrived two years later thanks to the Hollywood strikes - failed to net the viewership of its predecessor. It is thought that the long gap between the two seasons contributed to the decline in ratings between them, since fans were less likely to be able to sustain their interest in a relatively new show over such a protracted period off the air.
![[Among the regular cast were also Arrested Development alumna Alia Shawkat (pictured), NYPD Blue star Amy Brenneman and The Leftovers actor Bill Heck]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/02/93258543-14203913-Among_the_regular_cast_were_also_Arrested_Development_alumna_Ali-m-41_1734488271410.jpg)
