FX certainly gives its creators the time they need to create. At the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, FX CEOJohn Landgrafgave a few updates on some of the network’s most popular series, all of which basically amounted to “shruggy shoulders emoji until further notice.” The biggest news concernedDonald Glover’s stellarAtlanta, which won’t be returning for a third season soon enough to be considered for the 2019 Emmy Awards. (The deadline is August 14, 2025).
Landgraf noted [viaDeadline] that the writers room is back breaking stories, but the delay comes down to Glover’s increasingly busy schedule as both actor and musician, as well as personal issues.
“Donald Glover is sort of the king of all media, and he just has had an incredibly complicated life," Landgraf said. “He’s had personal things he’s had to deal with, from injuries to other things I’d rather not say publicly that just have to do with not with his personal life but his extended family.”
Ryan Murphy’s FX empire is also in a bit of a dead zone as the mega-producer readies hismove to Netflix. There’s “3 to 4 ideas” being bandied about for a follow-up to the massively successfulAmerican Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, but it willnotbe a season based on 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Originally, that idea—adapted fromDouglas Brinkley‘s bookThe Great Deluge—was to beAmerican Crime Story’s follow-up toThe People v. O.J. Simpsonbut got swapped forVersace,an Emmy-winning move. Back in 2017,American Crime Story: Katrinaunderwent a “creative pivot” asDennis Quaid,Annette Bening, andMatthew Broderickleft the project.
Similarly, Murphy’sFeudisn’t exactly dead in the water, but willnotbe going forward with a season 2 centered on Prince Charles and Diana Spencer. This was already the expected move, but Landgraf noted that the series—which followed the tempestuous relationship between Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) and Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) in season 1—will proceed when Murphy “gets inspired by something.”
