FX has officially ordered Pose season 3, shortly after the show's season 2 premiere earned series-high ratings. Created by Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy, Pose explores New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s, and revolves around the community's predominantly black and latino LGBTQ . Its cast includes a record number of transgender actors for a TV show, including Mj Rodriguez (who plays protagonist Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista), Indya Moore, and Dominique Jackson, all of whom have played leading roles since season 1.
The show's first season took place from 1987-88 and juxtaposed the lives of its main characters with the rise of NYC yuppie culture, with frequent Murphy collaborator Evan Peters playing Stan Bowes, a Trump Tower employee who becomes romantically involved with Angel Evangelista (Moore), a member of Blanca's self-made family, the House of Evangelista. For season 2, however, the series has jumped ahead to 1990 and moved away from Peters' storyline, in order to examine the impact of Madonna's "Vogue" on the ballroom scene, and focus on the U.S. HIV and AIDS crisis at the time.
Most critics feels Pose has only gotten better by shifting its focus onto the experiences of its transgender and LGBTQ characters in season 2, even more than it did in season 1. The season 2 premiere earned a 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its efforts, and drew a series-high 1.2 million viewers in its initial airing (with the number rising to 1.8 million over its first five days, after encore airings and delayed viewing are ed for). According to THR, FX has gone ahead and officially picked up a third season, well ahead of when it ordered season 2 during the show's freshman run.
In a statement, FX chairman John Landgraf praised Pose for being a series that has "elevated our culture and the TV landscape like few shows before it". The show at large has been similarly praised for its rich characterization and representation, in addition to the ways it tackles emotionally-challenging and depressing subject matter in an authentic, earnest, and often hopeful fashion. Season 1 alone was nominated for several major TV awards, including Best Drama and Best Actor for Billy Porter's performance as Pray Tell, the emcee of NYC's ballrooms, at the 2019 Golden Globes ceremony.
For Murphy, Pose's renewal comes at a time of change for the prolific showrunner. The Glee and Ratched). Nevertheless, Murphy reportedly intends to keep his FX series going for as long as possible, which is certainly encouraging to hear when it comes to Pose specifically. As mentioned earlier, the show has only improved in season 2 so far, and there's reason to believe that it will remain on that upward trajectory, as it further shines a light on the NYC ballroom community and their experiences near the tail-end of the 20th century.
Pose season 2 continues with "Worth It" tonight on FX.
Source: THR