HBO is booking a return trip to Room 104.
The premium cable network has renewed the individual episodic anthology series for a second season. The low-budget comedy from brothers Jay and Mark Duplass has been getting solid reviews across the board.
THR critic Daniel Fienberg called the series — which takes place in the same motel room every episode but features a different cast and director in a totally different story — a “gimmick well exploited” in his review.
The series, the first for the Duplass brothers since HBO canceled critical darling Togetherness after two seasons, launched July 28 and has seen its viewership rise — a challenging feat for a series that airs in a time slot (Fridays at 11:30 p.m.) with relatively little to no expectations.
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“Jay and Mark Duplass are gifted storytellers who have brilliantly reinvented the anthology series for the modern era,” HBO exec vp programming Amy Gravitt said. “The format of Room 104 offers endless possibilities and opportunities for new talent to experiment, and I look forward to seeing where the series takes us.”
Room 104 has already featured stars such as Melonie Diaz, Keir Gilchrist, Philip Baker Hall, Poorna Jagannathan, Orlando Jones, Amy Landecker, James Van Der Beek, Mae Whitman and Nat Wolff, among others. Directors include Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Patrick Brice, Sarah Adina Smith and So Yong Kim, among others.
Jay and Mark Duplass — who have an overall deal with HBO and also produce animated comedy Animals — created the series and have contributed writing alongside Xan Aranda and Ross Partridge, Boden and Fleck, Dayna Hanson and Carson Mell.
“We can’t remember the last time we had so much fun making something,” the Duplass brothers said in a joint statement. “We’re excited to go even further down the rabbit hole with this show.”
Room 104 joins recently renewed comedies Ballers and Insecure as well as Silicon ValleyI Divorce, Crashing, Veep and the forthcoming return of Curb Your Enthusiasm, among others.
