“Sharp Objects” won’t be getting a second season, showrunner Marti Noxon said at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour.
“We’re not talking about a Season 2,” Noxon said. “This is it, so bask in it while you can.”
The eight-episode limited series is based on Gillian Flynn’s debut novel of the same name, so an additional season would have taken the series off-book. While “Sharp Objects” is a limited series, it wouldn’t be unprecedented to add on a second season. Last year’s critical darling “Big Little Lies” was originally billed as a limited series before HBO added a second season.
Also at the “Sharp Objects” TCA panel, Flynn said that eight episodes felt like the right amount to tell the story of Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) and Wind Gap, Missouri.
Also Read: Why 'Sharp Objects' Showrunner Named Each Episode After a Word on Camille's Body
“I felt this one in particular did feel like it needed more than two hours,” the former reporter said when asked why a series felt right for “Sharp” instead of a feature film, like “Gone Girl.”
“It did need that length, again, just to make sure that Camille and her story and that character study didn’t get lost within the mystery itself,” Flynn said. “As you saw, we don’t even get to what Camille’s particular issue is … until the end of the first episode.”
When TheWrap spoke one-on-one with HBO programming chief Casey Bloys later on, the exec told us why the premium cabler agrees one season is enough for this TV adaptation of a beloved novel — and “Big Little Lies” got a Season 2.
Also Read: Here's How 'Sharp Objects' Is Not Hiding Its Cuts and Looking Out for Triggers at the Same Time
“No, no,” Bloys said, to a possible sophomore season. “I’ll tell you the difference. For ‘Big Little Lies,’ Reese [Witherspoon], Nicole [Kidman], Laura [Dern], Shailene [Woodley], and Zoe [Kravitz] — they all wanted to do it again. This is very, as you know the show is dark, and Amy’s character is very dark. It’s a difficult role for an actress to play. I believe she doesn’t want to play that character again, which I completely understand. It’s a lot to take on, and without her I just don’t see. I think this is one where you gotta say, ‘We got a fantastic limited series, and we’ll leave it at that.'”
Noxon previously told TheWrap the decision to save a view of Camille’s cuts until the end of the premiere was because she “was mindful that many of the people watching the show would not know the story [from the book].”
The “Buffy” alum added that that moment in the book “actually takes place pretty deep in,” and that it’s the moment the reader “really get[s] the story of what these ‘sharp objects’ have done to her,” and so she knew she wanted to replicate that “a-ha” moment on screen. To read more about what those “sharp objects” have done to Camille, head to our post over here.
Party Report: Amy Adams, Gillian Flynn and HBO Celebrate the Premiere of 'Sharp Objects' (Photos)
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