The School of Rock star plays a lowly U.S. Foreign Service official caught up in an international incident in Pakistan in the new series, which also features Tim Robbins and Pablo Schreiber, and he's keen to keep filming what has become late movie mogul and producer Jerry Weintraub's final project.

Appearing on U.S. chat show Conan on Monday (13Jul15), Black revealed the series is "on the brink of being picked up for a second season", adding, "We're gonna find out, like, in the next couple days".

He added, "We're gonna find out if, like, I'm good at acting, or if I'm totally sucky and s**tty..."

Given the chance to make an impassioned plea to keep the show on air, Black turned to face the camera and said, "HBO executives that are watching, I'm Jack Black. I have a family... I have two children... These kids need to eat. I wanna send them to school and it's not cheap and they deserve a future, so if you have a heart..."

Black pretended to sob as he delivered the message and offered up a shot of two children he later told host Conan O'Brien were not his adorable seven and nine year old, adding, "My kids don't like me showing pictures of them".