HBO's 'Room 104' Season 2 Debuts November 9, Stars Michael Shannon, Mahershala Ali, Judy Greer, And More
The first season of HBO's anthology series Room 104 was uneven, but showed a lot of promise. Each episode takes place inside the same motel room, but that's essentially the only requirement: genres, characters, styles, and tones are all up for grabs depending on the episode's individual story, and season one served up a varied meal of period pieces, Mormon missionaries, an MMA-style brawl, and a pants-less Santa Claus, just to name a few.
Room 104 season 2 will hit HBO on November 9, 2018, and the full cast and list of writers and directors has been revealed, and things are about to get very interesting behind the door of that motel room.
Creators and executive producers Jay and Mark Duplass are back for more Room 104, and they've enlisted a terrific batched of talent to help them out, including actors like Mahershala Ali, Michael Shannon, Judy Greer, Rainn Wilson, Brian Tyree Henry, and Katie Aselton, and directors like Patrick Brice (Creep), Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent), Mark Duplass, and more.
Here's a full list of all twelve episodes for this season, and descriptions of who's starring in, writing, and directing each one:
Episode #13: "FOMO"
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 9 (11:30 p.m.-midnight ET/PT)
Grace (Charlyne Yi) and her friends (Tom Lenk and Pia Shah) take a weekend trip to celebrate Grace's 30th birthday, only to be surprised by the arrival of her uninvited sister (Jennifer Lafleur).
Written by Mark Duplass; directed by Ross Partridge
Episode #14: "Mr. Mulvahill"
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 9 (midnight-12:30 a.m.)
Jim (Rainn Wilson) reunites with Mr. Mulvahill (Frank Birney), his third-grade teacher, and challenges him to admit to an incident from the past that left Jim forever changed.
Written by Mark Duplass; directed by Ross Partridge
Episode #15: "Swipe Right"
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 16 (11:30 p.m.-midnight)
A powerful Russian political technologist (Michael Shannon) arranges an internet first date with a veterinary nurse (Judy Greer), who tries to figure out the truth behind his shifting identity.
Written and directed by Liza Johnson
Episode #16: "Hungry"
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 16 (midnight-12:30 a.m.)
Two strangers (Mark Proksch and Kent Osborne) meet to fulfill an unusual mutual fantasy.
Written by Mark Duplass; directed by Patrick Brice
Episode #17: "The Woman in the Wall"
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 23 (11:30 p.m.-midnight)
Plagued by a host of ailments, Catherine (Dolly Wells) is comforted by a disembodied woman's voice (Leonora Pitts).
Story by Esti Giordani; teleplay by Mark Duplass; directed by Gaby Hoffmann
Episode #18: "Arnold"
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 23 (midnight-12:30 a.m.)
After waking up soaking wet and with no memory of the previous night, Arnold (Brian Tyree Henry) tries to piece together the events that got him to Room 104.
Written by Mark Duplass & Julian Wass; directed by Julian Wass
Episode #19: "The Man and the Baby and the Man"
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 30 (11:30 p.m.-midnight)
A couple (Josephine Decker and Onur Tukel) hoping to conceive makes a video of their emotionally-charged night for their future child.
Story by Josephine Decker; teleplay by Josephine Decker & Onur Tukel; directed by Josephine Decker
Episode #20: "A Nightmare"
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 30 (midnight-12:30 a.m.)
A woman (Natalie Morales) finds herself trapped in increasingly terrifying versions of the same nightmare.
Written by Mark Duplass; directed by Jonah Markowitz
Episode #21: "The Return"
Debut: FRIDAY, DEC. 7 (11:30 p.m.-midnight)
Grieving the death of her father months earlier in Room 104, a young girl (Abby Ryder Fortson) returns with her mother (Stephanie Allynne) in hopes of being able to communicate with him.
Written by Mark Duplass; directed by So Yong Kim
Episode #22: "Artificial"
Debut: FRIDAY, DEC. 7 (midnight-12:30 a.m.)
A reporter (Sheaun McKinney) looks to uncover the truth about a woman (Katie Aselton) who claims to be a hybrid robot warning of an impending AI takeover.
Written by Mark Duplass; Directed by Natalie Morales
Episode #23: "Shark"
Debut: FRIDAY, DEC. 14 (11:30 p.m.-midnight)
A charismatic pool shark (Mahershala Ali) tries to convince his reluctant cousin (James Earl) to stay in the hustling game.
Written and directed by Mark Duplass
Episode #24: "Josie & Me" (Season finale)
Debut: FRIDAY, DEC. 14 (midnight-12:30 a.m.)
A woman (Mary Wiseman) asks her slightly-younger self to recreate the events of one night at a college frat party.
Written by Lauren Budd; directed by Lila Neugebauer
On paper, the most exciting episodes in this batch look to be "Swipe Right," which features Michael Shannon and Judy Greer acting together, and "The Man and the Baby and the Man," which is written by, directed by, and stars Josephine Decker, whose film Madeline's Madeline has received incredible reviews as it played on the festival circuit.
We reviewed every episode of the first season of Room 104 here, so be sure to check those out if you missed them.