Since launching two years ago, the FX ballroom drama Pose has, in a word, revolutionized television. Depicting the house ballroom scene from the late 1980’s/early 1990’s (featuring the largest cast of transgender actors in the history of television, as well as the largest cast of LGBTQIA recurring performers in a scripted series) has cemented Pose as a landmark moment in the broadcast history. The pandemic that has also redefined our country has reshaped the programming available to us, and Pose is one of the shows that many have been hungering to return. Thankfully, it looks like some of our favorite legendary children are ready to come back to the ballroom; Variety reports that Pose is beginning production on the third season in October. The site reports that a member of the crew is being tested for COVID-19 in anticipation of the cameras going up for Season 3.
“When production paused, I wasn’t shocked-I knew it would happen-but it was a bittersweet moment for me,” star Indya Moore told Variety this past summer. “On the one hand, if anyone had gotten sick, it surely would have spread fast. On the other hand, most folks working on a production are living paycheck to paycheck. So I was worried about how they are going to survive.”
Storyline-wise, Pose co-creator Stephen Canals recently dropped some info to TV Guide about where we can expect some of our favorite characters when they return to our screens. Fans will recall that Season 2 jumped ahead three years (to 1990) after the Season 1 finale. The Season 3 finale though, will have our characters time-jumping again & living in the mid-90’s,1994 to be exact. Canals said “Thematically it’s much of the same — our heroes navigating New York and this time it’s New York of 1994,” Canals revealed. “One big thing is Blanca finds love. A large part of Blanca’s arc for the season is the push and pull of being both a partner and a mom. How do you balance all these multiple roles? Blanca has always been so devoted and focused on her children…She’s finally focusing on her herself and going for her goals in a way we’re really never seen for her. We’ll be exploring the ripple effects [of that choice]. How does that then impact her children?” (Jeremy Pope, fresh off of Netflix’s Hollywood is already confirmed to play Blanca’s love interest Christopher).
The health and safety of the Pose cast & crew have been the top priority since the show returned to production. Canals shared that the writing team was “pretty far along in the season” when the pandemic shut down production, so they’ve had to go back and modify some of the details. Canals disclosed “how are we going to do the balls? Do we wait and shoot the balls later in our production cycle when hopefully the restrictions have loosened up some? A lot of it is a question mark and we’re having to figure it out as we go.”
The musical elements of Pose have consistently shaped the era that the stories take place in, as well as the characters themselves (it is impossible to forget Candy’s iconic final scene set to Stephanie Mills’ “Never Knew Love Like This Before”) and that will not change for Season 3. The mid 90’s are known for music that was rich in hip-hop/R&B, and the shift that Canals confirmed will be reflected throughout the season. Pose has also been known for its guest stars, whether it is Broadway superstar Patti LuPone or (in a nod to history) ballroom legends like Jose Xtravaganza sitting at the judges table in ballroom scenes. “We have some exciting casting this season. People are definitely going to gag when they hear who we have coming up.” Canals confirmed that there is
“Pose” Season Three will air (most likely) in 2021. For all things “Pose”, check out the website