| American Rust | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for the first season | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Dan Futterman |
| Based on | American Rust byPhilipp Meyer |
| Showrunner | Dan Futterman |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 19 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Showtime |
| Release | September 12 (2021-09-12) – November 7, 2021 (2021-11-07) |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
American Rust is an Americancrime drama television series created byDan Futterman based onthe 2009 novel byPhilipp Meyer. The series premiered on September 12, 2021, onShowtime.[1] In January 2022, the series was canceled after one season by Showtime.[2] In June 2022, the series was revived for a second season byAmazon Freevee.[3] The second season was released on March 28, 2024 onAmazon Prime Video.[4] In July 2024, the series was once again canceled.[5]
Set in a smallRust Belt town inPennsylvania, chief of police Del Harris takes on an investigation when the son of the woman he loves is accused of murder.[6]
| Season | Title | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | ||||
| 1 | - | 9 | September 12, 2021 (2021-09-12) | November 7, 2021 (2021-11-07) | Showtime | |
| 2 | Broken Justice | 10 | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) | Amazon Prime | ||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Mill" | John Dahl | Dan Futterman | September 12, 2021 (2021-09-12) | 0.264[7] |
| 2 | 2 | "Happy Returns" | John Dahl | Adam Rapp | September 19, 2021 (2021-09-19) | 0.244[8] |
| 3 | 3 | "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" | Craig Zisk | Céline C. Robinson | September 26, 2021 (2021-09-26) | 0.237[9] |
| 4 | 4 | "My Name is Billy" | Craig Zisk | Alvaro Rodriguez | October 3, 2021 (2021-10-03) | 0.362[10] |
| 5 | 5 | "Jojo Ameri-Go" | Darnell Martin | Jaquén Castellanos | October 10, 2021 (2021-10-10) | 0.333[11] |
| 6 | 6 | "Debt Collection" | Darnell Martin | Charly Evon Simpson | October 17, 2021 (2021-10-17) | 0.324[12] |
| 7 | 7 | "Blue Mountains" | John Dahl | Jaquén Castellanos | October 24, 2021 (2021-10-24) | 0.292[13] |
| 8 | 8 | "St. Sebastian" | John Dahl | Adam Rapp | October 31, 2021 (2021-10-31) | 0.288[14] |
| 9 | 9 | "Denmark" | John Dahl | Dan Futterman | November 7, 2021 (2021-11-07) | 0.394[15] |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by [16] | Original release date [17] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | "Homecoming" | Jim McKay | Dan Futterman | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
| 11 | 2 | "The Golden Goose" | Jim McKay | Jean Kyoung Frazier | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
| 12 | 3 | "Iron Sky" | Michael Lehmann | Adam Rapp | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
| 13 | 4 | "The Hand You're Delt" | Michael Lehmann | Alvaro Rodriguez | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
| 14 | 5 | "Light Me Up" | Radium Cheung | Ted Malawer | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
| 15 | 6 | "Daddy Issues" | Radium Cheung | Jessica Brickman | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
| 16 | 7 | "Tree" | Melissa Hickey | Delondra Mesa | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
| 17 | 8 | "Ponderosa" | Melissa Hickey | Ted Malawer | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
| 18 | 9 | "Faster Horses, Younger Women and More Money" | Jim McKay | Jessica Brickman | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
| 19 | 10 | "Confessions" | Jim McKay | Adam Rapp | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |
In November 2017, a television adaptation ofAmerican Rust was ordered to series byUSA Network. The pilot episode was written by Brian McGreevy, Lee Shipman, and Philipp Meyer, and to be directed byDavid Gordon Green.[18] The series was scrapped on January 25, 2018, after having trouble finding a leading actor for the show.[19]
In July 2019, the adaptation was recommissioned byShowtime, to be written byDan Futterman and starringJeff Daniels as Harris; they both also serve as executive producers.[20] In March 2020,Maura Tierney,Bill Camp,David Alvarez,Alex Neustaedter and Julia Mayorga were cast as series regulars.[21] In March 2021,Mark Pellegrino joined the cast in a series regular role,[22] whileDallas Roberts,Clea Lewis and Nicole Chanel Williams were cast in recurring roles.[23]
The series was filmed in and aroundPittsburgh.[24] On January 25, 2022, Showtime canceled the series after one season.[2] On June 9, 2022,Amazon Freevee picked up the series for a second season.[3] The second season began shooting in Western Pennsylvania in November 2022 and completed in May 2023.[25]
The second season, subtitledAmerican Rust: Broken Justice, was released on March 28, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video.[4] On July 26, 2024, Amazon Prime Video opted to not renew the series for a third season.[5]
American Rust has received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 28% based on 32 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "American Rust's tale of America lost is a worthy one, but despite an A-list cast it simply does not have the narrative clarity or heft necessary to do its subject matter justice."[26] OnMetacritic, the first season has a score of 48 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[27]
Based on three episodes for review, Zack Handlen ofThe A.V. Club gave it a "C" grade, writing "There's a lot not to like aboutRust, a dreary, well-acted, badly written chunk of misery porn" and that "the dialogue is all flatly expository". Handlen concluded with, "American Rust likely has a story worth telling, and a setting worth exploring, but this version fails to make much of a case for either."[28]
