Showtime Really, Really Wants More WHO IS AMERICA?
If you've been wondering whether a second season of Sacha Baron Cohen's Who Is America? is in the cards, we've got good news: Showtime's definitely interested.
Take it away, Deadline...
“I’m dying to bring it back,” said premium cabler boss David Nevins today at the TCA of the gotcha series from the Borat creator, admitting it “will be a process” because of the secrecy involved.
Noting in his opening remarks at the Beverly Hilton that Who Is America? created “a lot of controversy and a lot of sign ups,” Nevins stated that the series is “a risk I am are really glad we took."
Thus far, the critical response to Who Is America? has been mostly mixed, a fair assessment given the inconsistency from episode to episode: each new installment seems to pair one homerun segment (Jason Spencer chasing Sacha Baron Cohen around a gym with his ass hanging out, the "Quinceañera Sting" from episode three, this week's appearance from former sheriff Joe Arpaio) with several less-than-excellent segments, all of which tend to go largely ignored after they've aired.
Good news is, one homerun is all you really need to get people talking, and lord knows there's been plenty of that.
Anyway, it's at this point that I will again reiterate my conspiracy theory that a second season of Who Is America? has already been shot and is probably just waiting to be announced, presumably after the first season wraps. Do you really think Cohen would craft this many new characters and then effectively bury them over the course of eight half-hour episodes? My guess is, they shot enough cringe-inducing shenanigans for twice that number.
We'll see if I'm right eventually; for now, knowing that Showtime's interested in airing more of this nonsense is plenty enough for us. But what say you? Would you keep that Showtime subscription locked down for a second season of Who Is America?, or do you think you'll just continue showing up here on Monday mornings for the highlights? Sound off in the comments below.
