Ian McKellen's British Comedy Series Vicious Picked Up for a Second Season

ITV has ordered a second season of the British sitcom Vicious, which stars No Man's Land and Waiting For Godot headliner Ian McKellen and acting legend Derek Jacobi as an aging gay couple who've been together almost their entire lives. According to Deadline.com, Vicious was the highest-rated comedy launch on any U.K. channel in 2013, and "negotiations are underway" to air it in the U.S.

Created by producer Gary Janetti (Will & Grace) and playwright Mark Ravenhill, Vicious follows Freddie (McKellen) and Stuart (Jacobi), two men who have shared a small apartment in Covent Garden together for nearly 50 years. Freddie was a former actor and Stuart a bartender, but both men now squabble and bicker as they live out their lives with their dog.

Vicious received mixed review from TV critics when it premiered in April, with some criticizing the show’s depiction of older gay men as catty, sarcastic chasers of attractive young men. Speaking at the Edinburgh Television Festival, ITV's director of television Peter Fincham called the show "a big, in-your-face audience laughter sitcom," adding that while "not everybody liked Vicious, many people did and that critical tide turned during the run."

McKellen, along with Tony nominee Patrick Stewart and Tony winners Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley, will soon appear in the Broadway mounting of No Man's Land and Waiting for Godot. Directed by Sean Mathias, the production begins performances October 26 at the Cort Theatre with opening night set for November 24.