Less-than-stellar ratings for the HBO freshman drama Vinyl were no obstacle in the show getting a second season, but the next go-around will feature someone else at the showrunner helm.
Terence Winter, who served as co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner for Vinyl, will not be returning for the sophomore season. Are the words “creative differences” used in reports about the departure? Of course they are. Here’s what HBO had to say about the exit of Winter:
“As we head into the second season of Vinyl, we have decided it is an appropriate time to make a change in the creative direction of the show,” HBO said in a statement. “We have enjoyed a longtime partnership with Terry Winter at HBO on projects from The Sopranos to Boardwalk Empire to Vinyl, and we look forward to our next collaboration with him.”
Who will replace Winter as the showrunner for the Bobby Cannavale music industry saga? That challenge will be taken on by Scott Z. Burns, who doesn’t have the TV pedigree of Winter, but can boast writing credits for such films as The Bourne Ultimatum, The Informant and Contagion.
The program, which has the star power of Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese as co-creators/executive producers, is said to have its writers convene this month for plans for season two. No word on if the new batch of episodes will continue to follow Winter’s vision for the series, but Vinyl (and its Winter-era guidance) still has two more episodes to air before wrapping up its inaugural run.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
