Season two of USA Network's surprise hit "Mr. Robot" is well underway to the delight of fans everywhere. The show, with its series of escalating plot maneuvers and mind-bending story twists, enamored audiences throughout its inaugural run like few other televisions series can. But creator and showrunner Sam Esmail doesn't want to be known as a one-trick pony. He warned fans not to expect continuous twists and turns in season two.
"I'm honestly not tricking anyone," Esmail said in a recent interview. "I don't want to trick anyone. I want people to feel the reveals and have the reveals impact them in a way."
Just because Esmail is switching things up doesn't mean "Mr. Robot" is going to suffer as a result. On the contrary, the show prides itself on keeping its audience guessing, which is what this new approach will do. Esmail has said that the show's sophomore run will differ greatly from the pilot and that working on it is like going "back to square one."
"The first season's critical acclaim and the response gave us a lot of confidence, but it's almost like the pressure kind of cancels it out," he said. "I'm back to square one, which is exactly where I think we should be in terms of approaching the story for the second season."
Esmail will be taking on directing duties for all 10 episodes this season, on top of his hefty writing commitments. Though that's a considerable burden to shoulder, his deep understanding of the story and his framework for an end game convinced USA Network to hand over the reins completely to Esmail. This isn't a rudderless ship as the creator/showrunner knows exactly where the series is headed.
"One thing I never wanted to do with this show was to take a road where we can just go on and on and belabor this until the ratings drop and they cancel it or we end it," he said in a separate interview. "I really wanted the narrative to have a purpose. We are heading toward that ending. For me, the utmost importance is having a clear engine and a clear ending that we're moving toward."
"Mr. Robot" is expected to return to USA Network for a second season sometime this summer.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
