The season finale of Netflix’s YA drama The Society left viewers begging for more after finally learning what had happened to the West Ham teenagers. There will be more tears to shed, however, as Netflix has canceled the second season of The Society.
“We’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with second seasons of The Society and I Am Not Okay With This,” Netflix said in a statement, blaming COVID-19. COVID’s actions have forced us to make these difficult decisions.”
“Uncertainty over air dates,” “unexpected budget increases due to the pandemic,” and “complications of managing a large cast” were just too much to overcome, according to a source.
“We spent the last few months getting ready to go back again, dealing with all of the COVID protocols,” showrunner Chris Keyser said to Variety. It wasn’t until after that, when I got the call from Netflix, did I learn of their decision.” Awkward and abrupt, to say the least.”
“We were dealing with Netflix and the rise in the budget and all that kind of stuff,” Keyser said. “There were ongoing discussions, and we were aware of the difficulties that this posed.”
“The second season was supposed to be shot primarily in the summer,” Keyser said. We were, however, returning to the fall and winter season. They concluded that it was simply too much for them. As far as I know, that’s how things work.
This is something I’m not going to deny,” he said. “I’m sure we’ve talked about the difficulties of producing in this environment for a long time.”
We all want the story we’re writing to have a happy ending, and I would hate for the characters to end up like the children of New Ham, who vanished without a trace. However, I can’t say that I have full control over that.
This is extremely upsetting,” he said. “However, it’s open to everyone. We have no choice but to deal with the losses this pandemic has caused, as have so many others during this period. We’re just another one of those shuttered small businesses and restaurants with no plans to reopen. All across the country, people are out of work.”
Over 130,000 people have signed a Change.org petition asking Netflix to renew the series since it was abruptly canceled by the network. The petition was signed by Kathryn Newton, a star of the show, and she tweeted about it.
Even though the first season aired more than two years ago, many remain hopeful that the show will return. Stranger Things has had a three-year gap between seasons and since most of the actors in The Society are already grown up (playing roles younger than their real-life age), their aging between seasons wouldn’t be too noticeable.
Even though season one has been on the air for two years, a significant number of the cast has moved on to other projects.
Kathryn Newton, who played Allie in The Society, has since gone on to appear in Freaky and The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, as well as filming Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Olivia DeJonge and Gideon Adlon have made the TV series Pacific Rim: The Black, while Jack Mulhern has filmed a role in Mare of Easttown and is now working on the miniseries Painkiller with Uzo Aduba and Matthew Broderick, respectively.
Also, since The Society was canceled, author Christopher Keyser hasn’t been sitting around doing anything. Julia, starring Sarah Lancashire, David Hyde Pierce, and Bebe Neuwirth as Julia’s husband Paul and publisher Avis DeVoto, is currently in development by him and his former Frasier castmate Bebe Neuwirth. Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution, which is to be directed by Ben Affleck, is expected to be written by Keyser.
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The Society season 2 – What questions were we left with?
Parents, younger siblings, and everyone else were in a different reality, the “correct” one, while they were trapped in an alternate reality that looked and felt exactly like their hometown.
However, now that a piece of the puzzle has been uncovered, another important question must be addressed: will the town’s youth ever be able to return home, or will they be trapped there for all time?
This is what the cast had to say about the show’s return when it was officially announced (via Variety): “People of New Ham, we have some big news, bigger than Gordie figured out that we were all living on the same planet at the same time.
“The time has come. Season two of The Society is currently in the works. Inquiring minds want to know: I’d like some more pie. The fugitive has become even more so. More memes, please. Additional information is available. Charlie’s story. And Becca’s baby daddy. Also, Grizz’s hair. The wait will be well worth it.”
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Keyser, on the other hand, said that “more answers” didn’t necessarily mean all the answers.
TV Guide quoted him as saying, “It’s hard to say” if they’ll reveal everything. “The questions have been answered. Even if we decide that it’s more interesting for the kids to be in the dark but not entirely certain, for dramatic purposes, at some point in time.
“Even if they can figure out how to reverse it or if it can be reversed, I think the signs of [how they got there] will always be somewhat obscure to them. This information is difficult to obtain.”
Before the show was canceled, here’s what we knew about season two.
The Society season 2 release date – When will it air on Netflix?
Netflix canceled season two of The Society because of the impact of COVID-19 on the television and film industries, as previously discussed.
Season two of The Society will begin filming in 2019, and a release date of “late 2020” was announced on April 2 (via Deadline).
The Society season 2 trailer: When can I watch it?
The second season of the show never had a trailer, but here’s the first season’s trailer.
The Society season 2 cast: Who’s returning?
No one, to my knowledge.
However, Kathryn Newton was supposed to return as Allie in season two.
The actress opened up about her initial fear of being on set in an interview with Cosmopolitan in 2019.
“I told Reese Witherspoon, her Big Little Lies co-star, before starting The Society, ‘I’m really afraid.’
“Reese said, ‘You’re already a leader, so you’ll be fine.'”… Invite everyone over for a game night, dinner, or bowling outing.’
“As a result, we all felt at ease and cared about one another, which made the show that much more enjoyable. Even though our group chat has been shut down, we still communicate with each other. I’ve made some new acquaintances, too.”
The following was also due to come back for round two:
- Will (Jacques Colimon)
- Campbell (Toby Wallace)
- Becca (Gideon Adlon)
- Sam (Sean Berdy)
- Harry (Alex Fitzalan)
- Kelly (Kristine Froseth)
- Helena (Natasha Liu Bordizzo)
- Elle (Olivia DeJonge)
- Gordie (José Julián)
- Bean (Salena Qureshi)
- Luke (Alex MacNicoll)
- Grizz (Jack Mulhern)
- Clark (Spencer House)
- Jason (Emilio Garcia-Sanchez)
- Lexie (Grace Victoria Cox)
Olivia Nikkanen, who plays Gwen, had also been upped to a series regular.