American Rust Season 3: Cancelation & Everything We Know

Warning! This Post Contains Spoilers For Broken Justice: American Rust The gritty crime drama series American Rust had a long and winding road to reach its second season, but Amazon Prime has pulled the plug on season 3. Debuting on Showtime in 2021, the series follows crooked cop Del Harris (Jeff Daniels) who uses his power and influence as a police officer to cover up the crimes of his past, and of those he cares about. Set in a crumbling West Virginia town, the series is based on the eponymous novel by Philip Meyer, and it attempts to tackle the many social issues of America's heartland.

Though introspective and shocking crime series are in vogue at the moment, American Rust season 1 was something of a flop when it debuted on Showtime in 2021, and it was quickly canceled. Fortunately for the few fans the series did have, Amazon Prime Video scooped it up and renewed it for a second season. Broken Justice: American Rust, the show's second season, debuted in March 2024 but was not quite the world-beater that Amazon had hoped for. This didn't bode well for the show's continued future, and Amazon has opted to cancel it once again.

American Rust Season 3 Is Canceled

Amazon Cancels American Rust Again

While Broken Justice: American Rust was better received by critics, the size of the audience is ultimately what decides a show's fate.

Amazon Prime Video took a big risk by scooping up American Rust for a second season after it was unceremoniously canned by Showtime. Unfortunately, the gamble didn't pay off, and Amazon has canceled American Rust after only one season. Though no reason has been given for the cancelation, it probably suffered from the same issues that plagued it on Showtime, that being low viewership numbers. While Broken Justice: American Rust was better received by critics, the size of the audience is ultimately what decides a show's fate.

Related American Rust: Why The Reviews Are So Bad American Rust has faced dominantly negative reviews, with critics saying that the show's slow pacing makes its story less engaging than it could be.

American Rust Season 3 Cast

Who Would Have Returned For Season 3?

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Though the future of the series was always uncertain, the cast of American Rust season 3 was easy to speculate about because of the open-ended nature of Broken Justice: American Rust's ending. One actor who would have almost certainly returned was Jeff Daniels, whose two-season arc as crooked cop Del Harris has shown off the actor's tremendous range. Likewise, Maura Tierney would need to have reprised her role as Grace Poe, especially as her life and crimes further entangle with Del's.

Jeff Daniels also serves as a producer on American Rust.

Another character whose life only got more complicated in season 2 was Alex Neustaedter's Billy Poe, and he could have been on hand for American Rust season 3 to further explore that fascinating thread. One smaller character who could have played a much larger role in season 3 was Hannah Geddy, played by Rae Gray, who survived her gunshot wounds and was a witness to Steve Park's murder and would have likely returned to oust Del and Grace.

The most logical returns for American Rust season 3 include:

Actor American Rust Role Jeff Daniels Del Harris Maura Tierney Grace Poe Alex Neustaedter Billy Poe David Alvarez Isaac English

American Rust Season 3

What Happens Next For Del?

Even though American Rust season 3 is canceled, the conclusion of Broken Justice: American Rust left the door wide open. The second season saw the web tighten around Del and Grace, but the two managed to worm their way out through a shockingly violent act. Del was prepared to turn himself in to save Lee English's life, and Sheriff Park was more than willing to trick his former boss into confessing to the crimes he had long suspected. In the end, Grace kills Sheriff Park to free Del, and the two stage it to look like someone else committed the act.

This, along with Del's promotion to the sheriff of the county, set the stage for another interesting season as both Grace and Del have killed to save one another. Meanwhile, Billy is trapped in the middle, and season 3 will need to have revealed if he survived his ordeal in the final scene with Del's would-be assassin. Likewise, the revelation that Hannah survived and witnessed Grace kill Sheriff Park introduced another cat-and-mouse game for American Rust season 3.

American Rust Where to Watch Season All Season 1 stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US Set in a small Rust Belt town in Pennsylvania, "American Rust" is a gritty drama series that delves into the lives of the town's inhabitants as they grapple with poverty, drug addiction, and the remnants of the American dream. Jeff Daniels stars as the town's compromised chief of police, who finds himself torn between his duty and his loyalty to those he loves when a murder case emerges, threatening to unveil the community's dark secrets. Cast Jeff Daniels , Maura Tierney , Bill Camp , David Alvarez , Alex Neustaedter , Mark Pellegrino Release Date September 12, 2021 Seasons 2 Writers Dan Futterman , Adam Rapp , Álvaro Rodríguez , Charly Evon Simpson , Jaquén Castellanos , Ted Malawer , Jessica Brickman , Delondra Mesa Directors John Dahl , Darnell Martin , Craig Zisk Showrunner Dan Futterman Main Genre Drama Creator(s) Dan Futterman Expand