Jeff Bridges’ days as rogue CIA operative Dan Chase have come to an end. FX has announced thatThe Old Manwill not return for a third season, marking the end of the critically acclaimed series. Despite its strong start and an impressive cast that includesJohn Lithgow, Amy Brenneman,andAlia Shawkat,The Old Manfell victim to a series of production challenges that ultimately derailed its momentum just when fans had gotten attached to the characters. The journey forThe Old Manwas anything but smooth. Production for the first season began back in 2019 but was interrupted multiple times.
The first delay came at the beginning of the dreaded pandemic and then halted again when Bridges was diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately, Bridges recovered, and the show was able to continue —when it finally premiered in June 2022, it became FX’s most-watched cable premiere since January 2021. The series also performed brilliantly on Hulu, setting records for an FX series debut on the streaming platform during its opening weekend.
That earned it a really quickrenewal for a second seasonbut, alas, the production woes were not to end there as filming for the second season faced another unplanned delay due to the WGA strike, creating a massive gap of over two years between seasons. When a show vanishes for two years, its viewers also tend to vanish, so when the second season premiered in September 2024, the second season’s ratings couldn’t live up to the success of its predecessor.
Was ‘The Old Man’ Worth Watching?
Well, despite the ratings decline,The Old Manremained a hit with critics. The series recently received three nominations from the Critics Choice Television Awards, including Best Drama Series, Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Jeff Bridges, and Best Supporting Actor for John Lithgow.Collider’sArezou Aminliked the show, giving it a 7/10 rating and praising the performances as well as the atmosphere:
“It’s not that thingsneedto be happening at all times forThe Old Manto remain interesting, but the story does sometimes operate at a stop-and-start pace that mixes long, silent, atmospheric moments with dense plot beats that happen so quickly that they’re barely over before you realize you absolutely need a rewatch to fully grasp it. Fortunately,The Old Manis engaging enough that a rewatch is no hardship, and with only five episodes provided for review, the series still has a chance to bring the season to a resounding, heart-pounding close — just like it did the first time around.”
The Old Manis available to stream now on Hulu and Prime Video.
The Old Man
Premiering on FX in 2022, The Old Man is a Thriller and Drama series starring Jeff Bridges. The film sees Bridges playing Dan Chase, an ex-CIA operative and war veteran that kills an intruder that enters his home and then goes into hiding to avoid the law.
Watch on Hulu
