Why Julia Roberts Isn't Returning for Season 2 of 'Homecoming'

Julia Roberts
Amazon Studios

The A-lister won't be returning for another stint in the psychological drama.

It looks like Julia Roberts won’t be appearing in season two of Amazon’s cerebral series, Homecoming.

According to multiple outlets, the Oscar winner will reportedly not be reprising her role in Sam Esmail’s acclaimed series, but that shouldn’t worry fans. First off, when the 51-year-old actress signed on for the show, it was only a one-year commitment. So maybe this was always the plan. And she will stay involved as an executive producer.

In season one, Roberts played Heidi Bergman, a former caseworker at Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a facility that helps soldiers transition from soldiers to civilian life. Years after leaving her position at the center, Heidi is approached by the U.S. Department of Defense, who want to know why she left. In the process, she soon discovers that she never really knew the real purpose of the center.

It’s unclear if the second season will include any new faces or if anyone else from the show’s original cast will be departing. Besides Roberts, the show stars Bobby Cannavale, Shea Whigham, Alex Karpovsky and Stephan James.

Roberts’ ongoing participation in the series was always an open question considering the show received a two-season order out of the gate. But prior and since Homecoming was released in November, Roberts has been careful to not confirm if she would be returning for the second season, telling Entertainment Weekly, “I don’t know if I’m at liberty to share that.”

But, it looks as though fans have finally gotten their answer, leading to a number of questions concerning the show’s return. Without giving anything away, much of Roberts’ storyline in season one included everything that happened to her character in the Homecoming podcast's two seasons, which inspired the series. This means Esmail and his team will have much more freedom to explore new territory, with possibly a new leading character, when the show returns.

Also, Roberts has signed on to star in Little Bee, an adaptation of the Chris Cleave novel The Other Hand, which tells the story of a British couple that crosses paths with a Nigerian orphan on an African beach, forever changing their lives. Perhaps Roberts simply decided that the project, which is currently in preproduction, took precedence. 

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