Roku announced that it has ordered Season 2 of “Die Hart,” which naturally will be titled “Die Harter,” as an exclusive for the free, ad-supported Roku Channel.
Actually, “Die Hart” had already been picked up for a second season by Quibi last September, but that came about a month before the richly funded Jeffrey Katzenberg-led mobile subscription-video startup announced that it was shutting down.
Over the first weekend the ex-Quibi programming was available for free on the Roku Channel, “Die Hart” scored as the biggest debut ever on the service in terms of number of households that streamed it, according to Roku.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring an equally hilarious, action-packed second season to the record number of viewers who have watched in recent days,” said Colin Davis, Roku’s head of original sdcripted programming.
As with the first season, “Die Harter” Season 2 will be produced by LOL Studios, the in-house production division of Hart’s Laugh Out Loud.
In Season 1 of “Die Hart,” which comprises 10 episodes of 7-9 minutes apiece, Kevin Hart plays a fictionalized version of himself who’s tired of being the comedic sidekick.
Davis declined to say whether the “Die Hart” premiere on the Roku Channel outperformed the show’s bow on Quibi, on July 20, 2020 — but all evidence indicates that it was seen by a far bigger audience.
In addition to returning to his starring role, Hart — founder and chairman of Laugh Out Loud — will also executive produce the second season.
“The return of ‘Die Hart’ marks a pivotal moment in the continued growth and expansion of LOL Studios,” said LOL CEO Jeff Clanagan.
Most of the content on the Roku Channel is licensed from third parties, with a lineup of more than 40,000 free movies and TV shows and 190-plus free live linear television channels in the U.S.