‘The Deuce’ Season 2: ‘70s Porn Drama Drops Action-Packed Trailer

HBO released a new trailer on Tuesday to promote Season 2 of the network’s critically acclaimed, gritty drama set in the early days of the porn industry, The Deuce—and the new promo clip is quick to let the show’s audience know that “everything has changed.” Watch the new trailer for The Deuce Season 2 by visiting this link. The trailer also makes clear that series star James Franco is back for a second season of the show, despite multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against the 40-year-old actor. Franco has denied those allegations. Reports earlier this year indicated that Franco’s dual characters of twin brothers Frankie and Vincent Martino will be “integral to the plot” of the nine-episode second season, which fast-forwards the action to 1977, when the New York porn industry was in full swing—and the now-legendary discotheque Studio 54 was at the center of nightlife for celebrities of all types. The show was created by crime novelist George Pelecanos and producer David Simon—best-known for the iconic HBO cop drama The Wire—and both return as writers and producers for Season 2. Simon told Variety magazine that he was not aware of any complaints against Franco on his show. “I can only speak knowledgeably to The Deuce. I’ve checked with all my fellow producers and other personnel,” Simon told Variety. “We have no complainant or complaint or any awareness of any incident of concern involving Mr. Franco. Nor has HBO been approached with any complaint. In our experience, he was entirely professional as an actor, director, and producer.” Maggie Gyllenhaal also returns as Candy, who started the series as a streetwalking prostitute but by the end of the first season had begun to stake out a career behind the camera directing early porn scenes. The Season 2 trailer appears to show Candy in the midst of a thriving career as a porn director. But the trailer also features hints of violence and action to come for the characters with brief shots of an armed police raid and a New York building fully engulfed in flames. 1977 was a tumultuous year in New York City. As the city teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and the summer brought a stifling heat wave, a serial killer known as “Son of Sam” stalked young women. And on July 13, a catastrophic failure of the city’s power grid plunged all five boroughs into a blackout, with mass looting and chaos breaking out throughout the city.  Though not specifically in the trailer, The Deuce Season 2 is likely to depict the traumatic events of that pivotal year. The Deuce Season 2 premieres on HBO September 9, and will also be available for streaming on the HBO GO and HBO Now services on that date as well. Image via HBO YouTube Screen Capture