Diksha Sundriyal
HBO Max’s ‘Love and Death’ is a true-crime series that follows the case of Betty Gore’s murder and the trial of Candy Montgomery. Starting from the beginning, the show focuses on the affair between Candy and Allan Gore, how it happened, and why it ended. In seven episodes, the show highlights all the important points about the case, the most important of which is why Candy killed Betty. Was it self-defense, or was it something more than that?
Instead of concocting its own theories about what may or may not have happened that morning of June 13, 1980, the show sticks to the facts. Created by David E. Kelley, it cleverly sticks to the narrative technique that allows it to show the story from Candy’s perspective. It also underlines the bias it could bring in the case where the only other person who knows what happened is dead. If you loved watching ‘Love and Death’ and want to know if there will be a second season for the show, here’s what you need to know.
Will There Be a Love and Death Season 2?
‘Love and Death’ premiered on HBO Max, with the first three episodes released on April 27, 2023. The rest of the episodes, all about an hour long, were released weekly, with the finale premiering on May 25, 2023. The show received positive reviews from the critics and the audience alike, with the praise directed towards the performances of the actors, especially Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery.
‘Love and Death’ was conceived as a limited series, and it wraps up the story in one season. It is based on a true story and does not unnecessarily add plot elements for dramatic effect. It sticks to the facts and exhausts all of them by the seventh episode. All that’s needed to be told in Candy’s story is wrapped up in the seven episodes. Considering all this, we can say that ‘Love and Death’ will not be renewed for a second season.
Talking about the intention behind creating the series and making it the way it was, Elizabeth Olsen said that the creators wanted to focus on the story’s deeper meaning, about the choices people make and the unintended consequences they can lead to. “Something really tragic happened, and we don’t want to excuse or negate that in any way. But I think the exercise we are doing is: How do we tell someone’s story and still understand how their lives led to that moment? And have a bit of understanding behind someone’s choices where we would normally leap to judgment without having had this experience of the show,” she said.
Considering HBO’s track record, there have been cases where what was believed to be a limited series was renewed for another season. The most famous examples of this are ‘Big Little Lies’ and ‘The White Lotus.’ However, one must remember that these shows are fictional and not based on true events, which means their storylines can be extended or turned into anthologies. If ‘Love and Death’ gets a Season 2 renewal, then it would most likely be a different case and not the continuation of Candy Montgomery’s story. In the larger scheme of things, a second season for ‘Love and Death’ doesn’t serve any purpose, so the chances of its renewal are practically zero.
