‘The Night Of’ season 2: Michael K. Williams on possibilities, and what could hold it back

If you look back at some of the best new television of 2016, it’s pretty easy to include HBO’s “The Night Of” on the list of one of the year’s best programs. It was smart, thought-provoking, and also sharp commentary on the nature of the prison system and the treatment of minorities by both this, the media, and the general public.

As excellent as it was, it makes sense for the demand to be there for a second season, and we know there have been discussions of it happening. However, nothing has come to fruition just yet, and based on what actor Michael K. Williams (who played Freddy, a powerful inmate at Rikers) told Entertainment Weekly during their “Entertainment Weekly: The Show” program, that is likely an intentional move on the part of the show’s creators:

“HBO would be deaf, dumb, and stupid to not want to do another season of this … However, from what I gather from [creators] Richard Price and Steven Zaillian, there is no amount of money that you can just throw at them to piece together a shabby excuse for a season 2 of what we created. If it didn’t fit, it ain’t happening.”

It’s a frustrating perspective for those who likely want a season 2 sooner rather than later, but it is one we appreciate, largely because we’d rather wait for something great than see something rushed out to air that is not up to snuff. We think in particular that this is something that has plagued some other anthology series like “American Horror Story,” who try to come up with a completely new concept year after year, when typically new series have a far longer time to come up with their ideas before every making it on the air at all. It’s a little different than coming back with established characters and story. (It’s possible that we could see someone like John Stone on “The Night Of” again, but it’s far from confirmed.)

Hopefully, some more news will rise to the surface during 2017.