'The Old Man' Returns: What To Remember From Season 1
With Jeff Bridges' action-drama 'The Old Man' returning for a second season on FX, here's what you need to remember ahead of the premiere.
If you can’t remember what happened in season 1 of the hit FX action-drama The Old Man, don’t worry, forgetfulness is a natural part of aging.
We kid; it’s been two years since the show premiered, so even those with a sharp memory would be excused if they forgot some of the details of the first season. Starring Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman, and Alia Shawkat, the smart, twisty first season focused on the relationships between their characters and the deceptions required by their careers in the foreign intelligence community.
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With season 2 premiering Thursday, Sep. 12 at 10pm ET on FX, here’s a brief refresher on the plot of the first season. To watch FX with Sling, use the link below to subscribe to Sling Blue with FX.
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What Happens in The Old Man Season 1?
The plot of the first season of The Old Man unfolds slowly. First, we meet Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), who lives a quiet, solitary and paranoid life with his two Rottweiler dogs. But when his house is broken into, Chase is forced to defend himself…as does so with the skill of someone trained in the lethal arts.
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Turns out Chase is a former CIA operative who was embedded in Afghanistan during the Soviet war in the ‘80s. He has a history with frenemy Harold Harper (John Lithgow), who is currently the FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence. Harper’s team includes young FBI recruit Angela Adams (Alia Shawkat), who we soon learn is actually Chase’s daughter Emily working undercover.
After escaping capture in a brutal fight scene (expertly directed by Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts), Chase ends up on the run with love interest Zoe McDonald (Amy Brenneman), a newly-single mother. She’s not at all keen to be drawn into the plot, but by the end of the season, has agreed to look after Chase’s dogs as he flees the country on a crucial mission (don’t worry, she’ll be back in season 2, as will the Rottweilers).
That mission is the recovery of his daughter, who, in the season’s biggest twist, is actually the biological child of Afghan leader Farad Hamzad (Navid Negahban). Although it appeared that Dan Chase was Hamzad’s target, in the end, he was really after Parwana, Emily’s birth name before she and her mother escaped to America with Chase. With Angela/ Emily/ Parwana now in Farad’s control, Chase teams with Harold – who is now also on the run after being implicated in the killing of FBI agents – to sneak into Afghanistan and recover her, setting up The Old Man season 2.
When Does The Old Man Season 2 Premiere?
The Old Man returns with a two-episode premiere Thursday, Sep. 12 on FX, at 10pm ET. After that, new episodes of the eight-episode second season will premiere Thursdays at 10pm ET on FX.