Since its debut, Danny Will Die Alone has built a devoted following by saying what most people only dare to think. Created by and starring Jack Tracy, the series blends sharp humor with raw vulnerability, following a jaded, deeply self-aware gay man navigating modern dating, intimacy, and the fear of ending up alone. What began as a scrappy pandemic-era project has evolved into a bold, genre-bending series that consistently reinvents itself while never repeating the same trick twice.
Now in its third and final season on Dekkoo, premiering on February 12, Danny Will Die Alone takes its biggest creative swings yet. The familiar confessional style expands, new narrative twists reshape the show’s structure, and Danny is finally forced to confront the emotional baggage that’s fueled his cynicism all along. In this candid conversation, Jack reflects on the unexpected journey of the series, the risks he felt emboldened to take this season, and the power of specificity, honesty, and discomfort in storytelling. He also opens up about fan reactions, creative pressure, and why ending the show on his own terms mattered most.
The show has developed quite a following since the debut. How do you think season three has built on what you’ve already established in the first two seasons?
I think each season is very unique in that it does something different with the premise. The basic premise is that Danny’s going on all these dates and he talks directly to the camera so you can hear his inner thoughts about what’s going on and that he’s very jaded and judgmental and all the things.
In the first season, which was really just a web series that I did on my own, it’s these little vignettes, then Dekkoo comes in and buys the show. Now we’re in a season two where we have the new theme, the storyline of his relationship with Matty, and there’s more of an arc of that.
And now, in season three, we introduce – without spoiling it – two new sort of twists on how the show works. It’s not how it was in season two, where it’s just Danny talking to the camera. And I guess the hint is, you know that at the end of season two, Matty reveals by snapping at the camera that he knows what’s going on and he knows that the audience is there too, which that leads us into a brand-new way of telling the story in season three.
When you first imagined the series, did you always see it lasting the three seasons or has Danny surprised you along the way?
This show is a complete surprise because it started as a podcast during the pandemic because it was the only thing I could produce. I had to do something from home, so a friend and I did this podcast called Dying Alone Together, and we would just talk about dating stories, we’d swipe on the apps, all these stories would come up, and then that motivated me to make the web series. Then the web series gets picked up by Dekkoo, and now Dekkoo asks for two full seasons, so none of this was expected. This started with me and a microphone recording a podcast, so I had no idea this is where it would go.
What feels most different about Danny in season three compared to where we met him at the beginning of the series?
We ended season two with Danny entering a relationship. That’s where we pick up, with him and Charlie. It’s dealing with how Danny functions in a relationship, which is something we haven’t seen before. And also in season three, we explore a little bit more of Danny’s past and why he is the way he is and what came before this string of singledom. He has referenced, I believe in the very, very first episode of the whole show that it was his first date after feeling like he’s healed from his ex. Now we get to talk about that a little more.
As both creator and star, how do you balance writing from a deeply personal place while still making the story feel universal?
I think that is actually the key. I think if your aim is to write universal, you’ll do something that is flat, bland, and doesn’t hook people. I think all of our experiences, no matter how super specific they are to you, everyone can relate to every experience in some way because they’ve had something like it happen. Probably not exactly, but it’s that specificity that conveys authenticity and that is what hooks people in. So, I say the more specific it is, the more likely it is to hook people.
Did your approach to writing or structuring the episodes change for season three?
I think it did. We’ve got a new conceit. We’ve got more than just Danny talking to camera. We’ve got multiple storylines and I don’t want to spoil anything, so I think I’ll just leave it there. But there’s a brand-new element in season three that isn’t just a repeat of season two. We’re doing something new.
Were there any creative risks that you felt more confident taking this season?
I’ve just been so supported by Dekkoo to just be given complete creative freedom that I’ve just felt safe the entire time. They’ve trusted everything that I’ve done. I think preparing for the inevitability that the show would end at some point, I did feel pressure to make sure that if this was the last season – and it will be – that it ended on something that would be satisfying.
Also, I had to deal with the pressure of the very vocal, loving fan base in terms of what they wanted and I had to make a decision. I was like okay, that’s nice to know, but is that what I want? Where do I want the story to go? The audience feedback is always helpful, but I’m always going to do what I think is creatively right.
The show explores modern dating, intimacy, and isolation with humor and honesty. What themes felt most urgent for you to explore this season?
We ended season two with polyamory and Danny enters a polyamorous relationship. We have to start there and see how that works out. I wanted to deal with someone choosing to date significantly older and significantly younger, so I wanted to deal with those dynamics and what that might be like.
Also, with the advent of an influx of amateur adult entertainers in the community, I thought it would be interesting to explore that. And then, in my personal life, I have recently been to many a speed dating event, so we have a speed dating episode. It’s all new. We don’t repeat anything from the other seasons. If anything’s the same about the show this season is that every episode does grab a new topic and do something with it.
Danny often says things that people are afraid to admit out loud. Why do you think that kind of brutal honesty resonates so strongly with the viewers?
It’s exactly the thing that they would never say out loud and when they hear someone else… and that’s been a lot of the feedback I get from fans. It’s “Oh my God, that’s what I think.” But if you’re not saying it out loud, no one else is saying it out loud and so you think you’re the only one that thinks this. So, when you see this show and realize that someone else out there thinks the exact same thing as you do, you feel seen – and everyone wants to feel seen.
How does season three challenge Danny’s ideas about love, self-worth, and what it means to end up alone?
That’s a good question. Let me think about that one. Danny enters the polyamorous relationship with Charlie because he fears being alone. He’s looking for something monogamous but he goes into it like, this is the only offer I’ve had on the table for a long time, so I’m just going to take it.
He has to deal with his discomfort with the arrangement and whether he can move and adapt or whether he can’t. So, there’s that aspect of it. I think Danny’s frustration is consistent throughout the seasons but I do think in this season, because we get a little bit more into his backstory, we understand why certain things didn’t work out. And I won’t say anything more specific than that.
You’ve described Danny to me as your most extreme jaded self and also the evil universe, David Schitt. And how much of season three’s Danny is rooted in your own experiences and how do you feel that connection evolved as a series has gone on?
Every single episode contains some kernel of something that has happened to me. None of it is entirely invented. I don’t want to spoil the episode, but the second episode and what Danny has to do at the end to protect himself and get certain things off the internet did happen to me, and that’s what I did. That is a real thing.
Everything has an element of truth in it. It’s just a matter of structuring it in a way that concisely tells a story. So, things get mushed, things get edited, but I think that just plays to authenticity. I tell real things. It should resonate with people because everything happened in some way or another.
Were there moments this season that felt especially vulnerable or difficult to perform?
The speed dating episode, something happens and I bawled my eyes out on set. That was very hard. The first take we did of it was from the other actor’s angle. It wasn’t me and I just lost it. I got that out of my system before the camera was on me, but you remember from season two, the very last episode, Danny has a monologue about being alone. He has another monologue like that in episode five this season that is darker and very emotional and definitely came from a very real place because it’s based on a situation that I personally was in myself. So that was very hard. But I love what we got. I think we got it.
As an actor, what did season three allow you to explore that earlier seasons might not have?
What did I explore that season? I mean that scene where I really got to chew on some material where I got to be very angry, very sad, very vulnerable, very open – more so than I got to be in season two and certainly season one – that was a lot to chew on. There is an episode where I am nearly naked the whole episode and it took an entire 12 hour day to film – just being nearly naked for 12 hours and walking around set. That was a lot. That was a rough day because I’m also directing, so a lot is going on. That was challenging. I’m trying to think of the other episodes. I think those would be the two: the nudity has increased and the emotional vulnerability, particularly in episode five. There was a lot more to dig into.
Viewers often see themselves reflected in Danny’s flaws and insecurities. How do you feel about that level of connection with your audience?
It’s incredible. I have the best fans. They are extremely responsive, they’re excited. We ran a crowdfund for season three that I made the budget in 24 hours. It was a two-month campaign that I made it in 24 hours because everyone was just so excited to help, which makes me really excited because I’m currently running a crowdfund for my next movie. So hopefully they’ll all come back. But it’s really sweet to get very personal feedback from people. It’s mostly through Instagram, through DMs, but people writing me like, “Oh, this happened to me.” or “Oh, I can’t believe you said this. That’s exactly how I feel. Dating feels the same for me.” Just getting those very personal responses – and I’ve gotten those throughout my career. My first web series, History, got a lot. I’ve gotten letters from fans saying it helped them come out. That’s really what makes it all worth it and I’m very grateful and thankful to have that kind of connection with people.
Has that response influenced in any way how you approached season three?
A lot of people had opinions based on how season two ended as to what they wanted to happen in season three, so that’s something I had to give thought to, whether I wanted to do that or not, how I wanted to do it when I wanted to do it. That was a lot of pressure, but for the most part, it just gave me the green light of okay, they like what I’m doing. They trust me. I trust me. Let’s just go make the thing.
What conversations do you hope viewers are having after watching the new season?
First and foremost, it’s a comedy so I hope people laugh. I hope people just find it funny and laugh. After that, I guess what I’ll say is that Danny has an epiphany at a certain period of the season where things then turn for him. He has a realization about himself and once he has that realization, things change for him. And so, I guess maybe it’s not where Danny has it, but maybe you’ll see something in an episode where you’ll have your own epiphany about yourself and how you are in a relationship or how you’ve handled a situation and maybe see it from another side or, I don’t know, maybe through watching a little bit of what Danny goes through it’ll maybe have a little mini lesson for somebody.
How do you personally define growth for a character like Danny?
Throughout the season, one experience must lead to the next. For Danny, the humor is a lot of repeating the same mistakes, being hyper judgmental, being jaded, being sour. And so, for growth for Danny, he has to understand why. He has to realize what he’s been doing and then understand why Danny can’t grow until he understands why he is the way he is, and he does in season three.
What has creating Danny Will Die Alone taught you about yourself as a writer and a storyteller?
I’ll be a little braggadocious for a moment, but I’m very proud of the writing. I think I’m a great writer and having the response from season two and just going into season three, I felt very energized and proud and confident. When I started this years and years ago, I really had…what’s it called? Imposter syndrome. It’s who am I to do this? Who am I to write this? Why am I any good at this or whatever? And the feedback from Danny has really inspired me – that’s why I’m getting ready to do this movie. I know that I have a strength in this and I have a talent, and I should not hold back and just go for it.
I don’t know if you can tell me about the film, but I was going to ask you what kind of stories are you excited to tell next, post-Danny?
The brand-new movie is called The Naughty List. It is a gay, vulgar Christmas comedy. It is a feature film and we’ll be filming it later this year. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see all the links to the crowdfund. It has its own Instagram, @thenaughtylistmovie. We are kicking that off the day the Danny premieres. It is Elf meets The Santa Clause meets the humor of Danny. It is fantastical while being raunchy and it has a strong political point that is prescient to what’s going on today. I want to make a cult classic gay Christmas movie that gay people watch every year. That’s what I’m aiming to do.
Now, one other thing, I heard some new music, during the end credits. Is there going to be a new album coming up anytime soon?
The 21-track sex album, Glorify, releases on March 20th. The promo track “Right Now” will be available if you pre-order the album when Danny launches on February 12th. So that will be available, music video pending. I’m still trying to figure that out. But yeah, and all of the credits of the Danny episodes have a different song off of Glorify.
Danny Will Die Alone season three premieres on Dekkoo on February 12. Follow Jack on YouTube, Instagram and Spotify. Support his new film The Naughty List, grab some merch and more here.
