‘Ballers’ season 2 official; HBO renews Dwayne Johnson series after strong ratings

While “Silicon Valley” and “Veep” are the HBO comedies delivering most of the buzz, Dwayne Johnson’s “Ballers” earlier in the week certainly delivered when it comes to the ratings! With that in mind, we cannot say that we are necessarily shocked that the network has already renewed it for a second season. Why wouldn’t they? The WWE alum is box-office gold right now, and he may be one of the most underrated all-around talents in the entire business. Think about it: Almost every project that he’s been in over the past year or two has been an enormous hit. Even his episode of “Saturday Night Live” was one of the funniest we’ve seen in recent memory.

In a statement today, network head Michael Lombardo touted the early renewal for the sports-related comedy with the following:

“The charismatic and hugely talented Dwayne Johnson, along with the rest of the BALLERS cast, has truly struck a chord with the HBO audience … We are thrilled with the overwhelming response the series has received and look forward to another exciting season.”

What makes this gig so appealing to Dwayne most likely is a chance to flex a few different muscles first and foremost. He does not have to spend a whole lot of time here doing action sequences, and he can save that for something a little different like most of his blockbuster movies down the road.

The new season of “Ballers” will more than likely premiere on HBO next summer. As for what the network will pair it with, that remains to be seen. The future of “True Detective” is not really clear, and even if it does come back, it will probably take Nic Pizzolatto a little longer than a year to work on some scripts.

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