'Roadies' Future Is Uncertain But May Go A New Way

For those who grew up loving Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous — or, simply, for those who grew up loving music — Showtime's Roadies has been a breath of fresh air. The series has woven character stories with music from contemporary artists as Roadies followed The Staton-House Band (which is, unfortunately, not a real band) through the U.S. leg of a tour and all the ups and downs and adventures that entails. So, for TV fans who have been enjoying Crowe's latest creation, there's still one important question: Will Roadies return for Season 2?

So far, Showtime hasn't renewed Roadies for a second season, but that's not necessarily a bad sign just yet so let's break it down. Certainly, the critic reviews and ratings don't seem to paint a positive picture. According to TV Series Finale, Roadies is the second lowest rated show on Showtime following Dice (a series following comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay). Plus, Roadies sits with a score of 47 on Metacritic, indicating mixed or average reviews, and a rotten 36 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it should be noted that both the audience scores on Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes are significantly higher, with 6.8 and 76 percent respectively.

OK, now let's take a look at what Showtime had to say about Roadies during the recent Television Critics Association summer press tour. According to Deadline, Showtime CEO David Nevins said a renewal decision for Roadies would be made around the end of Season 1. In speaking more about the series, Nevins said:

It’s going according to vision. I like the show; it’s a very different tone for us and for pay cable in general. I think it gets better, but it hasn’t caught on big. We’re evaluating what its future is one way or the other.

It seems Showtime will announce whether Roadies has been renewed or canceled following the Season 1 finale. However, I would guess they'd take some time to get a better idea of how the show performs in the ratings and with critics, so we may not receive news immediately after the finale. As for what a second season of Roadies could look like, there are plenty of directions in which Season 2 could go. In an interview with Collider, executive producer Winnie Holzman said Roadies could stick with the crew or mix it up:

We feel like we could stay with this band and continue. You could have it that a lot of these roadies end up on another tour. You could have it that they end up in another tour. I think it would be fun to mix it up. I can picture playing it out so many different ways, and I think that’s part of the fun of this show. You could keep this core group of roadies together, but you could have various things happen.

While we're waiting to hear on whether Roadies will return for a second season, we can certainly discuss what we'd like to see. Personally, I'm hoping for even more in-depth character stories, especially for Kelly Ann and Shelli. Plus, if I had a choice in the matter, I'd make the entire second season take place on Halsey's tour — how cool would that be? But, for now we're going to have to wait and see where the music (and Showtime) takes Roadies.

Images: Showtime; Giphy