The second season of USA Network’s breakout summer hit Mr. Robot will be directed entirely by Sam Esmail, the show’s creator. According to Variety, Esmail will sit in the director’s chair for all 10 episodes when the show begins shooting in New York next year.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Esmail said he expects season two will get “even darker” than the first. “I’m going to have to throw some jokes in,” Esmail told an audience at New York Comic-Con.
The decision indicates the creator will seek to assert more direct control over the show’s distinctive vision. Esmail directed three episodes of the first season, including the season finale. Esmail’s expanded role continues a recent trend of willful writer/producers taking over direction duty. Recent examples include The Knick‘s Steven Soderburgh and True Detective‘s Cary Fukunaga.
In the meantime, the show’s critical and popular success may soon lead to some award-show hardware. Mr. Robot received three Golden Globe nominations on Thursday for best TV drama and performances by stars Rami Malek (best actor in a TV drama) and Christian Slater (best supporting actor in a TV drama). Malek and Esmail have also received Screen Actor’s Guild and Writer’s Guild Award nominations, respectively.
“We are really happy that people are seeing the same things that we see in a show that we love so much,” USA president Chris McCumber told Variety. “The competition is so intense — there’s so many great shows deserving of recognition and of people’s time. It’s very hard to break through.”
McCumber also said the network will release an extended cut of first season, presumably next year, with additional “TV-MA rated” scenes.
USA has not yet announced a premiere date for season two of Mr. Robot. The first season began on June 24, 2015.
