Just as HBO has done with many of its big drama series, the cable network had already been prepping a second season before Vinyl had premiered, pulling the trigger on a second-season renewal shortly after its series debut.
The 1970s rock n roll drama, which premiered on Sunday, has been picked up for a second season. Created by Mick Jagger & Martin Scorsese & Rich Cohen and Terence Winter, Vinyl was not a breakout ratings hit in a linear sense, opening with modest 764,000 viewers for its premiere airing. But the show has been well received, and HBO brass have regularly stood by prestige series regardless of their Nielsen ratings.
Vinyl‘s two-hour pilot was directed by Scorsese, from a teleplay by Terence Winter and George Mastras, and story by Rich Cohen & Mick Jagger & Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter, with hour-long episodes to follow starting this Sunday.
Starring Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra, a record label president who is trying to save his company and his soul without destroying everyone in his path, the first season of Vinyl also stars Olivia Wilde, Ray Romano, Ato Essandoh, Max Casella, P.J. Byrne, J.C. MacKenzie, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Juno Temple, Jack Quaid, James Jagger and Paul Ben-Victor.
Executive producing the series are Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, Terence Winter, Victoria Pearman, Rick Yorn, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, John Melfi, Allen Coulter and George Mastras; executive music producer, Mick Jagger; showrunner, Terence Winter.
its a vapid show.
an empty husk of the SOPRANOS’ soul
A big disappointment! A mash up of Scorsese’s greatest hits…but gotta love James Jagger, he obviously inherited some major star quality!
Awful show. Bailed on it about 40 minutes in. Style over substance, and bad 70s styles to boot.
Vic, I can promise you that the next seven minutes after that didn’t get any better. That’s as much as I could stand.
I love this show! Bobby Canavale is amazing and so great to see Ray Romano again. Andrew Dice Clay was a scene stealer.. casting overall is great!
There is simply no way to argue that this show is good. I’m sorry. It was a time suck with unlikeable, ridiculous characters and no stakes.
It was a bummer that his character was killed off!
it’s HBO. The land of pretentious, shows not one but critics watch and fawn over. But not in this case–this show is just plain bad considering the talent involved.
HBO has lost their mojo.
Good! Most reviews I read indicate that the show only gets stronger in the subsequent episodes. But I also admit that I liked the pilot.
“Vinyl was not a breakout ratings hit in a linear sense…” But it was in a nonlinear sense? Cool.
Because Chris Albrecht installed this way of thinking – many many years ago – but that’s when HBO was worth it’s fee. Now it’s an arrogant ship navigated by people who care less about the craft and more about how POLISHED they look.
Well reieved by who? Oh, right, the Deadline critic. The show was spectacularly awful…
Still not watching, HBO
Has this show really been well-received? I have read and heard from plenty who don’t like it or think it is mediocre. Its Metacritic average is only 70. It is pretty hard to see HBO’s logic here.
Most reviews been great. Rotten Tomatoes USA today. Etc. great performances and writing My bet the ratings will go up
I don’t know a single person that thought the show was great, and every review I’ve seen has trashed it (and rightfully so).
hugely disappointing pilot.Obviously such a prestige product gets a second season because they have no choice. It would look like a bomb otherwise. Hopefully they develop the material because we’ve seen the good man with a dark secret forced to do bad things to get along in the world many times. there was no social media buzz about the show. Those numbers tell you why.
Ha Ha…they ALWAYS have a choice, and they are brutal about it. There were merits to the show that warranted renewal, never fear. I hope they release a PG-ish dvd with the expletives silenced.
Laughing at the trolling comments after seeing the pilot only. A Martin Scorsese directed pilot at that. Yeah, those hacks Scorsese, Terry Winter & Mick Jagger. What do they know or created in the past right? Geez, there’s 9 episodes left in the series, but ok, write it off after the pilot that sets the back story and characters, etc.
Right? I mean, when has a pilot ever been good. Stupid trolls and their opinions.
HBO is really losing their way with this one. Comes at a time when, based on the latest earnings numbers, subscriber growth could be poised to fall off a cliff.
HBO needs new show-pickers. The current team has launched exactly two hits in around seven years. Terrible track record for predicting what people want. True Detective Season Two would have been enough to overhaul drama development on its own.
over-the-to Boardwalk Empire-style nonsense with different clothes. Casino 2. Or Mean Streets Lite.
BLAH. Was really looking forward to this show, and what a disappointment. Totally miscast, the only appealing person was Olivia Wilde. What a waste of a cool idea and generation of music.
The high expectations of Vinyl has ruined any chance of a fair appraisal. The reviews are quite polaizing. I’m a rock fan spedifically of the Dolls thru Clash years, so I definitely have intrest in the show. I would give the show a 6.5 out 10. Although, one has to give some leniency on ratings due to this only being the premiere episode. The major promotion of Vinyl hyper expectation. I would hope the series continues to blossom
The 2 hour pilot made me think HBO should be paying me to watch it. It was amazingly bad. I mean it sucks the sweat off a dead man’s you know what bad.
Yet another low rated, highbrow show (like Luck and John from Cincinnati) that HBO likes to throw its money away on. It’s so nice of them to program exclusively for critics.
No, not for critics, this show seems like poetry for the fans. At least they dreamed it up that way. The husband, the biggest rock fan ever, was turned off by the language (and lack of clothing), too bad. Perhaps, they are looking for viewers to bounce to pay stuff, after watching. Or, they’re two old dudes who dreamed of jamming different musical styles. It is charming, in a way. Now, if they just won’t make it a downer like Game of Thrones stuff, but a drizzle to blue sky type morphing of characters. That’s my kind of music. I remember in the 60’s someone told me a happy approach to life was my forte. Someone has to speak up for its inclusion, in this modern world.
This show was torture…..turned it off at the hour and 15 minute mark….good luck with this stinker
A dreary little show that makes GIRLS seem riveting. How low HBO has fallen…
Sorry, found the first episode slow and boring. Perhaps I’ll give it another try once an entire season is available, but definitely not appointment TV.
I really enjoyed the show. Well shot (of course), well acted and cast well. People must just be trolling because it wasn’t bad in the slightest. Yeah, It’s not going to be a juggernaut, It didn’t have an overly intricate story line but it was a good, fun watch. It certainly isn’t going to be the death of HBO haha. Clue up trolls.
Started okay , but then it trailed into crap rock bands of the seventies. Like that trash Lou Reed and New York Dolls. Please those New York bands just sucked.