“Julia” has been renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max.
The series is inspired by the life of Julia Childs and her long-running cooking show “The French Chef.” Through Childs’ perspective, the series explores the emergence of public television as a new social institution, feminism and the women’s movement, the nature of celebrity and America’s cultural evolution.
Sarah Lancashire stars as Childs. The cast also includes David Hyde Pierce, Bebe Neuwirth, Brittany Bradford, Fran Kranz, and Fiona Glascott. Guest stars in Season 1 included Isabella Rossellini, Judith Light, Robert Joy, Erin Neufer, Jefferson Mays, James Cromwell, and Adriane Lenox.
“Through her masterful performance, Sarah Lancashire welcomed us into the life of Julia Child, a trailblazer who, among her many accomplishments, redefined the possibilities of public television and, in turn, brought French cuisine and culture into American living rooms,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max. “We are grateful to our creative team, led by Chris Keyser and Daniel Goldfarb, and talented cast who entranced us all with an endless helping of warmth and charm. ‘Julia’ is the perfect show for this moment and we look forward to serving more in season two.”
Daniel Goldfarb created the series and serves as executive producer along with Chris Keyser, with Keyser also serving as showrunner. Erwin Stoff of 3 Arts Entertainment, Kimberly Carver, Charles McDougall and Erica Lipez also executive produce. Todd Schulkin is a consulting producer on behalf of The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. The series is produced by Lionsgate Television.
“Julia Child tends to make people happy,” Goldfarb and Keyser said. “In a bleak world, she is a welcome balm. Making this show has done the same for us. Working with our cast – with Sarah and David – our production team, writers, directors and editors, who have become our friends, makes us happy. In the language of Julia, it feeds our souls. The genuine love and care that HBO Max has shown for our show has been overwhelming. They allowed us to tell the simple story of a group of remarkable, oddball, passionate people, who joyfully live their lives to the fullest. That we get to keep them alive for another season makes us the happiest of all, and we are already hard at work.”