USA Ups ‘Mr. Robot’ Order, Launches After Show

USA Network has upped the Season 2 order for Mr. Robot from 10 episodes to 12. Sam Esmail, the creator and executive producer of the hacker drama, will direct all 12 episodes, and Universal Cable Productions will produce.

The season kicks off July 13, when USA will air back-to-back episodes with limited commercial breaks and a live after show. The one-hour Hacking Robot will go behind the scenes on the hit drama.

“The first season of Mr. Robot was everything we hoped for--and then some,” said Chris McCumber, president, entertainment networks, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “So it’s no surprise that Sam and team have raised the bar even more in season two. From the first moments of the new season, it’ll be clear that audiences are in for something incredibly special and wholly unexpected.”

The show won a Golden Globe for best drama in January. Mr. Robot follows Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a cybersecurity engineer who becomes involved in an underground hacker group led by Christian Slater’s character; Slater too won a Golden Globe earlier this year.

“The extraordinary ride that is Mr. Robot continues with a wild season two. It's a brilliant and immersive journey that demands to be watched again and again," said Jeff Wachtel, chief content officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, and president, Universal Cable Productions and Wilshire Studios.

The July 13 episode pick up 30 days after the show’s infamous fsociety 5/9 hack on Evil Corp. Besides Esmail, the executive producers include Steve Golin and Chad Hamilton of Anonymous Content.

Aliyah Silverstein executive produces the after-show, which is produced by Wilshire Studios.  

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.