‘Desus & Mero’ Renewed for Season 2 at Showtime

By Will Thorne

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The Bodega Boys are coming back, baby!

Showtime has renewed “Desus & Mero,” the network’s first-ever late-night talk show, for a second season of pop culture, sports, music and politics banter.

Season 2 will premiere Monday, Feb. 3 and will continue to air every Monday and Thursday night at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The renewal announcement was made by presidents of entertainment Gary Levine and Jana Winograde.

“Desus and Mero have been a fantastic addition to the Showtime family,” said Winograde. “With their hilarious commentary on current events, spirited conversations with major political figures and celebrities, and unique tours of their much-beloved New York City, Desus and Mero bring an entirely new perspective on late night programming and we can’t wait to see where they shine that light in 2020.”

Longtime acquaintances and Bronx natives Desus Nice (Daniel Baker) and The Kid Mero (Joel Martinez) came to prominence through their podcast “The Bodega Boys” and web series “Desus vs. Mero.” Prior to Showtime, their run on Viceland garnered them a strong following which formed a jumping off point for their new show. They continue to host the “Bodega Boys” podcast.

Back in Feb. at the show’s premiere, the duo teased that they were going to disrupt the late-night space with some “f—— cultural paradigm-shifting s—.” It’s fair to say that nine months later, that goal has been achieved.

“We’re not wearing ties, we’re not doing monologues. F— all that s—. This is going to change television,” said Mero at the time.

In a column written  when the show premiered, Variety chief TV critic Daniel D’Addario commented that the move to Showtime has “given the pair greater visibility and access,” leading to a whole host of A-list guests from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to Ava DuVernay.

In one memorable segment from season 1, the duo went to a strip club with Anna Kendrick, before buying the “Pitch Perfect” star her first pair of Timberland shoes. Regular viewers will know that Desus and Mero have more than a small obsession with “Timbs.”

“Desus and Mero showed enough comic resourcefulness, and enough enthusiasm and warmth, throughout their broadcast to make clear it’s worth watching no matter who guests,” wrote D’Addario of the Ocasio-Cortez interview.

Produced for Showtime by Jax Media, “” is executive produced by Desus, Mero, Lilly Burns, Tony Hernandez and Victor Lopez. The season 1 finale will air Nov. 21 at the usual time.