‘American Rust’: Is Season 2 Based on a Book?
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for American Rust: Broken Justice.]
American Rust has returned for Season 2 on Prime Video under the new title American Rust: Broken Justice, and with it comes a big question: Is this season based on a book?
American Rust‘s first season, which originally aired on Showtime and is now streaming on Prime Video, was inspired by Philipp Meyer’s 2009 novel of the same name. But Broken Justice deviates from the source material, instead building upon the story that unfolded in Season 1.
(Credit: Dennis Mong / ©Showtime / Courtesy Everett Collection)
Season 1 also swayed from its source material, taking the basic structure and plot and repurposing it for television. Now, in Season 2, Del Harris (Jeff Daniels) is moving beyond his former role as Buell’s police chief to take on a gig at the Pittsburgh PD in an effort to infiltrate a circle of dirty cops.
Everything that takes place this time around is made up entirely for the screen, carrying throughlines introduced toward the end of Season 1. While Meyer’s novel focuses more on the economic downfall of Buell and its impact on the citizens, the murder mystery between friends Isaac English (David Alvarez) and Billy Poe (Alex Neustaedter) takes centerstage after their encounter with an ex-cop at Buell’s abandoned steel mill leads to death.
In Season 2, Billy and Isaac cope with the events that transpired because of that crime as Del’s journey shifts the show’s focus to a larger conspiracy at play within the Pittsburgh PD. Whether these changes and deviations from Meyer’s source material make the series more enjoyable for book viewers remains in the eye of the beholder.
Have you read the original American Rust novel? And do you think Season 2 of the series honors the source material? Sound off in the comments section, below.
American Rust: Broken Justice, Streaming now, Prime Video
