ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to On the Roam’s Jason Momoa and Brian Andrew Mendoza about the new season of the HBO Max show. The two of them discussed what this project means to them on a personal level, why spotlighting different artists is so important, and more.
“On the Roam is a cinematic docuseries following Jason Momoa as he travels the country chasing art, adventure, and friendship through the lens of craftsmanship,” the official logline reads.
On the Roam Season 2 premieres on HBO Max on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Brandon Schreur: Jason, I’m so in awe of what you’ve created here with this show. I mean, you play a superhero on the big screen, but this show is just like watching you be a superhero in real life. Like, I just think spotlighting individuals and artists that not many people may be aware of is so important, especially in 2026 when there’s just so much stuff out there. So, can you tell me a little bit about why this project matters to you and what you ultimately hope audiences will take away from this new season?
Jason Momoa: I mean, the biggest thing is, there are so many beautiful, amazing artists that we want to showcase. And that’s just, that’s the thing. I absolutely love it all. I mean, I’m an actor. I’m a student of life. I’m constantly hearing about all of these different things. Even if I go do a job and I have to play a character where I don’t necessarily know that art form, I get to learn it, and it’s a crash course in learning. And, so, it’s just designing a way to like be a sponge and go out and learn all these things. And so I’m just celebrating everything that I want to kind of learn, or I could learn, in this lifetime.
And there’s so much stuff that I want to do — that’s why we kind of wanted to make this. Just to showcase everybody in hopes that it would work out. And, obviously, the first season went over very well. This is our second shot at it.
We just wanted to up the bar and kind of just do things that were, you know, kind of scary. Or things we didn’t know if we were going to be able to pull off. But they would just elevate to the next level, and they would just keep growing and growing. And so, that’s kind of the fun thing, where we have a plan, we have an idea, and then if it’s great, the universe kind of just opens up, and things keep stacking up on top of it. And it takes you in the direction that you never could have thought it was going to go like that.
Brian Andrew Mendoza: And [Momoa] really gets behind the people that we’re shooting. I mean, just the band, The Bobby Lees. That first week, [Momoa] was doing SNL, all while he found out about [The Bobby Lees] thinking about hanging up their hat on the bat. Like, every spare moment he had — which you don’t have a lot of spare moments when you’re doing SNL — was trying to…he got them a meeting that same week with Atlantic Records. He really dug in, and it was insane. He’s got this energy where, when he’s got this energy, he’s got the best spirit for doing that.
Yeah. I love that passion. It’s just so cool to see you kind of explore these people and really put a spotlight on them in the show.
Momoa: But I also just think it should be in your own hometown, and all people, like — there are so many people. We’re surrounded by so many artists. Like, every human being that we come in contact with has one thing to offer you, and you have something to offer them. You can disagree on all kinds of shit, but what’s that one thing where you could elevate each other? And what’s one thing that you can, you know, like show each other and upon up. There are so many art forms. There are so many things, man.
I just feel like we should celebrate the human aspect of just creating what you actually love. What’s your passion instead of, like, what the f— and all the other shit we could argue about. It’s just going like, what’s your passion? What do you really love? And if you really love something, you get to share it with the world. That’s what we should — that’s what we have in common.
Yeah. So many different angles and directions you can take this, too. I’m sure you guys have no shortage of ideas regarding who could be spotlighted or who you could do an episode on, too.
Momoa: Oh, I mean, if it didn’t take so long to do it, I’d love to be able to constantly do it. Literally, any time I have time off work, if I’m not with my kids, it’s literally going to put as many episodes of On the Roam together [as we can]. It’s such a — you have to start it, you have to build the thing, and then you have to, you know, shoot each process of the building of it, and obviously the finale. It just takes time, you know. Or yeah, no, definitely.
Brian, you’ve been part of this journey from the beginning, too. What does it mean for you to get to do another season of On the Roam with Jason, and what were you most excited to dive back into when approaching Season 2?
Mendoza: I think the thing I love about the people, every single person that we get to be around, they’re real. They’ve got so much integrity. What’s great about everyone one of them is that they do something — whether it’s being an artist, being a mechanic, or being a musician — that gets completed at the end of the day. There’s this art that’s done that we don’t really see much of anymore. Most people’s jobs — everything is just always punted to the next day. There’s this satisfaction of completion. The people that we capture, that’s the thing that fulfills them. There’s a simplicity to it; a hope that people see through this series [that they should] take a moment and do something. If you have a journal, write.
That sense of completion, it really brings peace to the mind. I think that’s something I learned through the people that we get to shoot. They know how to do it really well, that balance.
It’s so inspiring to watch. I’m sure it’s even all the more inspiring to actually be talking to and meeting these people.
Momoa: It was like, too, we get to meet all these beautiful people. And even from like the first season, it’s just, all those people are always in my mind. Generally, I find them on Instagram, and then, you know, you don’t get to see everybody all the time, but you get to see what they’re creating and still making. And it’s like all the knife makers and the jewelry makers and everyone that you like and that I still follow. And I love seeing them, seeing good things happen, and staying in touch. So it’s beautiful to kind of learn from them and continue to see what’s going on in their lives.
Thanks to Jason Momoa and Brian Andrew Mendoza for taking the time to discuss On the Roam Season 2.
