SPOILER ALERT: This story contains details about the season 1 finale of FX On Hulu’s The Old Man.
FX on Hulu’s spy drama starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow wrapped its first season July 21 by answering several burning questions — namely, why Faraz Hamzad was so hellbent at getting to Dan Chase (Bridges) and his daughter, Angela (Alia Shawkat). Did you really see? ThatOne coming?
Jon Steinberg and Dan Shotz, Executive Producers, discuss the major revelations and the ongoing questions surrounding Morgan Bote (Joel Grey).
DEADLINE There was so much information revealed in the last episode. Talk about threading the needle, and when and why you should reveal it.
JON STEINBERG:It was very complicated. We originally planned to do 10 episodes. This was our original plan for our first COVID shutdown. Although the reveal was fairly similar, it was done a bit differently. Then after Jeff’s first illness with the lymphoma and then when things got really dicey with his COVID, we had to make a call on what we were going to ask him to do, and when we got him back. Then we looked at it again. Then, we thought that the reveal was starting at this moment. Imagine if everything felt like one big event. This was the most challenging creative exercise in the history of the show. It involved trying to make the final three episodes of a season one big finale.
DAN SHOTZIt was a long-term struggle, but Jeff was fine and it allowed the story time to develop. Sometimes time is a blessing. It allowed us to take the time to examine it and discover what it meant for them.
DEADLINE Could you discuss the scene at the end where Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow are in the car with John Lithgow? It was an amazing moment.
STEINBERGWhen you get Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow looking at you saying, `what do you want us to say?’ It’s fun but it’s a little scary. It got even more exciting. It’s like, let’s write a play for these two guys who could really read a phone book at each other. It’s amazing how exciting it is to have these two men arguing while not even looking at one another for most of the conversation.It was very special to see them doing it. It was their first shot of COVID when Jeff returned. [he contracted it while receiving treatment for cancer]John was in that car scene.
SHOTZ They hadn’t worked together yet because prior to Jeff’s diagnosis, they were in their own storylines. That was why getting into the car together was one thing we shot. They hadn’t spent that much time together, but there was an immediate love affair between these two guys who just were so happy to be together, so happy to be working together after such amazing careers. It was a wonderful moment to see them bond as friends, just like Dan Chase and Harold Harper 30 something years ago.
DEADLINE Dan is now the older Jason Bourne that we didn’t know we wanted.
DAN SHOTZJeff finished his treatment and returned to us. Jeff was 60 miles per hour while shooting a gun from his window. [for the finale]. We were astonished at the things he did when he returned and it was so enjoyable for him to feel that way.
DEADLINE Was it hard to decide when and where you’re going to reveal that Dan actually goes by Johnny?
STEINBERG Yes in the sense that there’s always a number of puzzles you have to solve when you’re trying to tell a story in two different timelines with the same people. It was uncomfortable at first trying to figure out what the heck?It isWhat is his name? It dawned on me that you accept that. To him, it is just as inconsequential what he’s being called in any given scene.
DEADLINE One of the plot points in Thomas Perry’s novel on which the story is based is how Dan is accused of stealing money. Is that something that you’ll get more into in season two?
STEINBERG I don’t think so. We all loved and found inspiration in certain parts of the book. However, there were also things that led us to a different conclusion than what Thomas had written. We wanted the show to last longer, and to have flashbacks. It had to be about more than money. A story you could emotionally connect with every time you saw it. This was an early decision to tell a different story in the past.
DEADLINE Morgan is really the old man?
STEINBERG It’s not a cop-out, but I’ve always sort of thought of the old man as more of a concept. Everybody’s got one and it’s relative. He’s TheyAn old man. Old men can have an older man.
DEADLINE Talk about those title cards that look like cross-stitch pictures that you would find in gramma’s house.
STEINBERGThese paintings were created by Hana Shahnavav (a remarkable artist). She’s British Persian. We’ve done the big animated title sequences and just felt like doing something different. It’s so sparse. It is almost like a small, pruned bonsai tree. That’s what started the conversation. What is interesting and beautiful? And what is minimal and extreme? This little story is told over panels. What kind of micro-story are you able to tell in addition to the main story’s main narrative?
DEADLINE There’s a lot to unpack in Dan’s past. Do we have any idea what he did in Afghanistan?
STEINBERG I think it’s all fair game. The whole thing is a bit of a journey into Dan Chase’s head. The second season’s goal is for the guys to return to the place they used to spend so much time when they were younger and to look back at the past with their current eyes.
SHOTZWe had so much fun with the CIA intrigues and FBI, all from 30 years back. It is, at its core though, a family story. It’s about all these dads, all connected to this one key figure.
DEADLINE Angela is likely to discover her true father very soon.
STEINBERG As a rule of thumb, we don’t want any character to be too distant from the audience. So that’s coming pretty quickly for her.
DEADLINEAmy Brenneman plays Zoe.
SHOTZZoe will be back. She’s a key piece of this story, a key connection for Dan. Amy is a great actress and partner in this. We’re very excited about Zoe’s story going forward.
DEADLINE There’s obviously a lot of questions still swirling around Morgan. What are your thoughts on the remaining questions?
STEINBERGHow does he get his emeritus status in the CIA From where does he get his power? What is his method of projecting it? These are the questions that I find most intriguing about his strange little family. He and his surrogates, his adopted children. Was that the nature of their relationship? They clearly had a falling out. What was that like? That’s the story that I’m most excited to dig into about him going forward.
DEADLINE When will we see the dogs again?
SHOTZ Yes. I don’t know if The Old Man is a show without the dogs.
The Old ManIt has been renewed for a second series. It is executive produced in part by Steinberg and Shotz, Robert Levine. Bridges, David Schiff, Jon Watts and Warren Littlefield. It is produced by 20th Television in association with The Littlefield Company.