'How To With John Wilson' Renewed For Season 2 At HBO

One of HBO's best new shows is getting a second season.

Today, the premium cable channel announced that How To With John Wilson season 2 is officially in the works, giving fans of the off-kilter and occasionally brilliant first season an early holiday gift that should help tide us over until next year.

Amy Gravitt, HBO Programming's executive vice president, made the announcement about How To With John Wilson season 2 in a press release this afternoon, saying, "John's lens is so deliberate and dear. Seeing the audience connect with How To has been an absolute joy. We're eager to see what 2021 has to offer with him behind the camera."

I'm a big fan of the series, which is unlike anything else that's currently on television. Despite having Nathan Fielder from Comedy Central's Nathan For You on board as an executive producer, How To is less cringe-y in its comedy (though it does have its moments) and has more room for freedom within an ostensible structure. Each episode is theoretically about Wilson, the off-camera host, teaching the audience one specific thing – but the show invariably bends and twists into unforeseen directions and ends up in a place no viewer could have anticipated.

I wrote about the first season in a recent edition of our ongoing Quarantine Stream column, and I highly encourage you to give it a chance. It's a very idiosyncratic show, and it certainly will not be for everyone, but after one 30-minute episode, you'll pretty much know if it's in your wheelhouse or not.

Here is how HBO officially describes the series:

In a uniquely hilarious odyssey of self-discovery and cultural observation, Wilson covertly and obsessively films the lives of his fellow New Yorkers while attempting to give everyday advice on relatable topics. The awkward contradictions of modern life are eased by Wilson's candid, unpolished commentary, with season one's episodes offering up his distinct take on a range of deceivingly simple topics. Building upon Wilson's previously released "how to" short films, the episodes take wildly unexpected turns, but are grounded in John's refreshing honesty.

How To With John Wilson season 2 – which will cover topics and tell stories that I could not even begin to predict – is expected to premiere on HBO sometime in 2021, and I'll be curious to see how much the pandemic impacts the production of the second season or if he might be able to create new episodes from footage he was able to shoot before this year.