‘Mr. Robot’ Kicks off “Darker” Season 2 on July 13, Extended to 12 Episodes; Premiere Includes Live Aftershow Hosted by Andy Greenwald

‘Mr. Robot’ is scheduled to premiere its second season on July 13 and is extended to 12 episodes. The season premiere includes a live aftershow hosted by author and critic Andy Greenwald.

According to USA Today, the incoming season 2 will pick up with Elliot causing more damage while coming to terms with the fact that Mr. Robot doesn’t really exist. Rami Malek, who plays lead protagonist Elliot Alderson, teased, "He's just trying to keep himself from making any more mistakes and causing more collateral damage." 

Elliot is a cyber-security expert by profession but lives a double life as a cyber-vigilante. Although he is a computer genius, he is troubled with deep psychological issues including paranoia, anxiety, delusions, and clinical depression, which causes him to become isolated from society. He is recruited by an enigmatic Mr. Robot, the leader of a group of “hacktivists” called f-society on a mission to attack a large corporation.

Creator Sam Esmail revealed that Elliot’s internal struggle of keeping his delusions of Mr. Robot under control will signal the beginning of a darker season. He said, "He's ostracized himself so that he can keep Mr. Robot at bay as much as possible… He thinks that by controlling every aspect of his life, and exiling himself from anyone he cares about, this is the path to curing this very serious mental illness."

Christian Slater, who plays Mr. Robot in the series, said, "There are certainly repercussions from Season 1 that have to be tackled and dealt with… I don't necessarily know that Mr. Robot being gone equals Elliot being well." Slater likened Elliot and Mr. Robot’s relationship to that of Bruce Banner and his counterpart The Hulk.

In season 1, Elliot comes to the realization that Mr. Robot is a figment of his imagination. Mr. Robot is a mere projection of his late father who died of leukemia when Elliot was still a young boy.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, season 2 has been expanded from 10 to 12 episodes. It is scheduled to premiere with two back-to-back episodes on July 13 on USA Network. Esmail will take on the role as director for all 12 episodes following his television directorial debut in season 1.

A live aftershow entitled ‘Hacking Robot’ will follow the season premiere and will be hosted by Andy Greenwald, according to Deadline. The 39-year old author and critic previously hosted one for ‘Game of Thrones’.

‘Mr. Robot’ is a new drama-thriller television series airing on USA Network. Since its debut on June 2015, the show earned numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama.