Hap and Leonard TV Series Brings Lansdale's Novels to Screen

A television adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale's Hap and Leonard novel series has been produced, with the first season airing in 2016 on Sundance TV. The series is set in 1980s Texas, blending noir and Western elements. It was written by Nick Damici and Jim Mikle, based on nine novels published between 1990 and 2015. The protagonists are Hap Collins, a white man played by James Purefoy, and Leonard Pine, a black gay Vietnam veteran played by Michael Kenneth Williams, known for roles in The Wire and Boardwalk Empire. The first season, adapted from the novel Savage Season, was successful and renewed for a second season in 2017, which adapts Mucho Mojo. The plot involves Hap's ex-wife Trudy, a femme fatale, who drags the duo into criminal troubles involving a hippie gang and a pair of serial killers, all to recover half a million dollars. The story explores themes of racism, homophobia, and friendship in a Texas setting.