The Old Man (TV series)

Premise

Dan Chase, a former CIA operative and Vietnam veteran, goes into hiding after killing an intruder in his home. He rents a room from Zoe McDonald, who becomes his forced partner while on the run. FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Harold Harper is called to apprehend Chase due to his past during the Soviet–Afghan War, aided by FBI agent Angela Adams, CIA officer Raymond Waters, and hit-man Julian Carson.

Production

FX ordered a pilot for the series in July 2019, with Jeff Bridges attached to star. Jon Watts was brought on to direct the pilot and serve as an executive producer, while John Lithgow and Amy Brenneman joined the cast. Alia Shawkat came aboard in October, and Austin Stowell was cast as a younger version of Chase. In February 2020, Kenneth Mitchell revealed he had a role.

Stowell was replaced by Bill Heck in March 2020, with Gbenga Akinnagbe, Leem Lubany, and E. J. Bonilla taking on main roles. Navid Negahban and Pej Vahdat were added in recurring parts in December 2020. Filming was about two-thirds done when production halted in mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Work resumed in late 2020 with three episodes left to shoot, but stopped again when Bridges was diagnosed with lymphoma in October 2020 and left for treatment.

For a short time, the crew shot scenes from the remaining episodes that didn't include his character. Bridges announced his cancer was in remission in September 2021, and production finally restarted in February 2022. The first season ran seven episodes. T Bone Burnett and Patrick Warren composed the score, with incidental music from Elvis Costello, Charlie Parker, Robert Plant, and others.

The series got a second-season renewal on June 27, 2022. Filming for that season was paused in May 2023 due to the Writers Guild of America strike.

FX canceled the show on December 17, 2024. Pakistani actor Hameed Sheikh worked as a dialect coach and cultural consultant. Pej Vahdat noted in an interview that he, Bill Heck, and Leem Lubany learned Dari on set.

Reception

For the first season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4/10 based on 61 critic reviews, with the consensus calling it 'intrepid and spiky' and praising Jeff Bridges' gravitas. Metacritic assigned a score of 72 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 64% approval rating with an average rating of 6.5/10 based on 14 critic reviews, noting that Bridges and John Lithgow remain watchable but the series 'lost a step'.

Metacritic assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. The premiere on June 16, with its first two episodes, became the most-watched cable series premiere since January 2021, surpassing 60 other cable dramas, comedies, and limited series, and marked the most-watched FX series debut on Hulu for its opening weekend.

Did You Know?

• The series also premiered on Disney+ (Star) on July 13, 2022, in Australia and New Zealand, Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ Hotstar in India.