'The Old Man' Reviews: Second Season of Emmy Nominated Hit is a Showcase for Jeff Bridges

         On September 12, 2024, FX premiered the second season of 'The Old Man', which has earned predominantly rave reviews from critics. In the series, "Dan Chase absconded from the CIA and lives off the grid. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past. The FBI's Harold Harper is called on to hunt him down because of his complicated past with the rogue fugitive. When Chase proves to be more difficult to apprehend than the authorities expected, a highly trained special ops contractor is sent to pursue him as well. While on the run, Chase rents a room from Zoe McDonald, who draws on reserves she never knew she had to survive the day when she learns the truth about her new tenant." The ensemble cast includes Jeff Bridges, Amy Brenneman, John Lithgow, E.J. Bonilla, and Alia Shawkat. Read the full review round-up below. 

        Alex Maidy of JoBlo's Movie Network praises the series, stating, "The Old Man has grown beyond its title into something that embraces the age of the lead actors. This is a story of the consequences of youth haunting you later in life, and I cannot think of better actors to overcome the challenge."

        Liam Mathews of TV Guide says, "The Old Man Season 1 had one of the most precipitous in-season declines in recent TV history. If it had maintained the level of thoughtfulness and tension of its first two episodes, it would have been one of the best shows of 2022 (it certainly was great for FX, where it became one of the biggest cable series debuts in years) . But it fell apart as it went along, becoming mired in portentous monologues and baffling plot choices before ending with a reveal so obvious that I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be surprising or not. In the end, it was a disappointing season. So The Old Man Season 2 has its work cut out for it getting the show back on track. The good news is, at least through the first five episodes, Season 2 is better than the worst of Season 1. The bad news is that it doesn't come close to realizing the promise of those first two episodes." Adding, "The Old Man's stylistic choices create a tension it can't resolve. Its presentation — especially in the virtuosity of Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow's performances and in the cinematic quality of the direction, cinematography, and editing — is that of a serious show like The Americans. But its overly expository dialogue and weathervane characterization are that of an unserious show like The Blacklist (I'm not saying The Blacklist is bad, just that it's a different type of show that places less of an emphasis on thematic depth). That tension makes The Old Man not work as a cerebral drama about the interior lives of spies or as a fun action thriller about old guys kicking ass, but rather traps it in the mediocre middle."

Photo by Vadim Babenko on Unsplash

        Samantha Nelson of AV Club notes, "It’s complicated having three dads, particularly when they’ll do anything to get you back. Life was never easy for The Old Man’s Angela Adams/Emily Chase (Alia Shawkat), who became an FBI agent after her CIA agent dad Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) put her in the custody of his former handler Harold Harper (John Lithgow) to go into hiding decades ago. But this season sees her reeling from the revelation that she was actually born Parwana Hamzad, daughter of Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban), the Afghan warlord Dan worked with during the Soviet–Afghan War before absconding with his wife. The family drama takes up most of the first half of The Old Man season two, which still delivers some of the show’s signature brutal fights but not enough satisfying mystery."

       Arezou Amin of Collider writes, "Season 2 is significantly more grounded, but this is to the series' benefit, as to do otherwise would be a massive disservice to the story at hand." Continuing, "It was pretty widely publicized that Season 1 of The Old Manexperienced production delays due to Bridges' health scare. I'm glad he took the time he needed to recover, both because that's just something a person should do when they're unwell, and also because Bridges returns for Season 2 in damn fine form. A lot of actors could only go so far with a surly on-screen disposition, and even someone of Bridges' talent and experience might be tempted to coast, but he never does. He gives it his all physically and emotionally — particularly in the physically demanding season premiere — and The Old Man Season 2 is a reminder of why we should never count him out."