Summary

  • Isaac will face the aftermath of his near-confession in American Rust season 2, with new twists and turns in his storyline.
  • Showrunners Dan Futterman and Adam Rapp promise a faster pace in season 2, with more drama, jeopardy, and character development.
  • JoJo's character won't be returning, but Isaac's journey, including his relationship with Nate, will continue to unfold.

Two years after its premiere, American Rust is returning for its long-awaited second season. The new batch of episodes drops on Prime Video on Thursday, March 28, and will showcase the aftermath of Isaac's (David Alvarez, West Side Story) near-confession. After fleeing Buelle at the beginning of season 1, Isaac returns in the finale with the wrench he used to kill Pete. However, understanding that Isaac was trying to protect Billy, Del orders him to hide the murder weapon.

Despite the trauma he previously endured, showrunners Dan Futterman and Adam Rapp tease that Isaac's conditions may improve in American Rust season 2. Nate left a lasting impact on the runaway when he took him under his roof, and Tom Pecinka is set to return in upcoming episodes. American Rust is not Futterman and Rapp's first time collaborating, as they worked together on Hulu's original series, The Looming Tower.

(Jeff-Daniels-as-Del-Harris)-&-(Maura-Tierney-as-Grace-Poe)-from-American-Rust
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Dan Futterman and Adam Rapp chat with Screen Rant about Isaac's upcoming storyline and whether viewers have seen the last of Nicole Chanel Williams' character, Jojo.

American Rust Season 2 Increases Its Pace

Jeff Daniels talking to someone in American Rust season 2

Screen Rant: One of the things I loved about season 1 is that there’s this slow build. You really get to know the characters, and then you amp it up towards the end of the season. Will season 2 have a similar structure?

Dan Futterman: No, it's Usain Bolt. We ramped up, as you said, at the end of the first season, and we keep on running. It was exciting to do that. We got to do kind of a novelistic storytelling that was more aligned with Philipp Meyer's book, which is terrific and worth reading, if you haven't read it, and then we were into the great unknown. We thought, "Let's keep this going. Let's keep this pace going." That was really exciting to do for a second season and see these great actors play it.

Adam Rapp: We did it with a mindset of like, "We want to speed it up. We want bodies to be dropping, we want there to be all this sort of great jeopardy, but we do not want to lose the character thing that we built." Because it was built slowly, as you cited earlier, I think because we took the time to develop those characters, we didn't lose that. We knew who they were and what they were going to do, and we trusted that.

The storyline and character that touched me the most was Isaac. Is there hope that things will get a bit better for him this season? Could we see more scenes between Isaac and Nate in season 2?

Adam Rapp: You may see something like that, and you may even see Nate. The plan we had for him for season 2, which we pulled off, I think, is that he comes back to Buell, and he starts to explore who he really wants to be. I'll kind of leave it open-ended like that. He gets caught up in a drama in his romantic life that has larger consequences than just his personal life. It was pretty fun to see David Alvarez, our great actor, take Isaac through that journey.

JoJo Will Not Be Returning To The Series

Two men walk past a gas station in American Rust

JoJo wasn't in the show for long, but she had such an impact. Is it possible that we'll see her again?

Dan Futterman: I think it's okay to say you're not going to see her again. She served a purpose, and it was a great purpose, and that was such a lucky find in finding her. But it was a particular bottle of four episodes. It had a huge effect on Isaac's character, which was the real intent.

Adam Rapp: We all fell in love with her. She was such a joy to work with. She was a college basketball player. She played basketball in Las Vegas. I think she might have played overseas for a little while. And I played basketball. I was constantly talking to her about basketball in between takes. Acting was new to her. She was just such an incredible find and a discovery. She was such a pro. You would never know that she had never really done film or TV before.

Lastly, when you were mapping out season 1, was it always the plan for Isaac to show up at the police station with that wrench in those final moments?

Dan Futterman: Yes. We knew that's where it was going. The challenge was getting him there.

About American Rust

American Rust: Broken Justice takes us back to the fictional small town of Buell, Pennsylvania. Del Harris (Daniels) and Grace Poe (Tierney) try to rebuild their lives after the harrowing events of Season One. Season Two picks up with a string of seemingly unrelated murders, hinting at a much larger conspiracy that threatens everyone in this small, tight-knit town.

Based on Philipp Meyer’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name, the first season of American Rust premiered on Showtime, exploring the tattered American Dream in a Rust Belt town in southwest Pennsylvania through the eyes of police chief Del Harris. Harris becomes compromised when the son of the woman he loves (Tierney) is accused of murder, and he is forced to decide what he's willing to do to protect him.

Check out our other interviews with the American Rust: Broken Justice cast:

All episodes of American Rust: Broken Justice are now streaming on Prime Video.