Julia Roberts Will Not Return for ‘Homecoming’ Season 2

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Julia Roberts will not be starring in “Homecoming” Season 2 at Amazon, Variety has confirmed.

The Oscar-winning actress will remain on the show as an executive producer, however. “” was picked up for two seasons when it was initially ordered at , but Roberts only had a one-year deal to star on the show, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation.

The role marked the first series regular role of Roberts’ career. Other cast members include Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Sissy Spacek, Shea Whigham, and Alex Karpovsky.

“Homecoming” is an adaptation of the fiction podcast of the same name from Gimlet Media. It is about staffers at a secret government agency where some are desperate to rejoin civilian life. Written by “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, the political thriller centers on a caseworker (Roberts) at a secret government facility, her supervisor and a soldier.

The show hails from Anonymous Content and Universal Cable Productions, where Esmail is under an overall deal. Along with Esmail, who is also directing, executive producers are Chad Hamilton Eli Horowitz, Micah Bloomberg, Alicia Van Couvering, Chris Giliberti, Alex Blumberg, Matt Lieber, and Roberts.

The show received strong critical-acclaim upon its debut, with Variety‘s Caroline Framke writing :

“Roberts, for her part, turns in a much more understated performance than one might expect of her first big TV role. Yet her intrinsic warmth nonetheless imbues Heidi with a palpable protective streak that keeps the character from feeling as obscured by all the mysterious forces surrounding her as she very easily could.”

The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news of Roberts’ exit from the show.