‘The OA’ Season 2: Netflix Orders More Episodes, But Will We Get the Answers We Need?
Rest assured, everyone: “The OA” will continue. The Netflix original series starring Brit Marling — who co-created the show with director Zal Batmanglij — has been renewed for Season 2 (or “Part II,” as it’s officially billed). Netflix announced more episodes are on the way Wednesday morning, but it did not provide an exact number or timeframe for release.
During a press event held in New York, Batmanglij revealed he and Marling have yet to begin working on the next season. However, he was very excited about returning to Netflix for a new installment, especially in comparison to more traditional independent distribution.
“The art house is an elitist idea,” Batmanglij said. “The idea of premiering a film at a festival and only a small group of people see it […] Netflix is the exact opposite, it’s so egalitarian. I’ve done both, and as a filmmaker, Netflix is so exciting to me.”
“Travelers,” another sci-fi series that debuted on Netflix in 2016, earned a Season 2 pickup Wednesday morning, as well. Starring Eric McCormack (“Will & Grace”) and MacKenzie Porter (“Hell on Wheels”), “Travelers” focuses on a group of humans living in the future who try to save humanity from dystopia by sending “consciousness” back through time. Clearly, they did not reach us before the 2016 election, but perhaps Season 2 will dig into their failure.
Netflix also renewed “Love” for a third season. The comedy co-created by Lesley Arfin, Paul Rust, and Judd Apatow is set to debut its second season on Friday, March 10. Co-starring Rust and Gillian Jacobs, “Love” Season 3 did not receive a release date estimate, but it will undoubtedly premiere to less controversy than the also undated sequel to “The OA” (unless we’re seriously underestimating the Gus and Mickey ‘shippers).
Debuting with only a week’s notice of its release, the so-called “secret” series was met with divisive opinions when it debuted in December 2016. Critics were as split as audiences, with some — like Vulture’s Jen Chaney — wishing they could revise their best of the year lists to include the bold science fiction series, and others — like UpROXX’s Alan Sepinwall — turned off by an ending deemed everything from silly to downright offensive. IndieWire landed more toward the latter reaction, with the nonsensical finale ruining an admirably ambitious effort.
So while fans are no doubt celebrating the renewal to a show they loved all the way through, many other viewers have to be deciding already if more of “The OA” is worth pursuing. Many articles have been written about what exactly went wrong, and even more theories have been put forth trying to explain why it could all end up making sense. Most don’t quite cover the breadth of the damage inflicted in the finale, leaving too many holes or too many mistakes unjustified.
For their part, Marling and Batmanglij have promised answers. In past interviews, they’ve said they always designed the series to go on beyond Season 1 and future episodes would explain what’s happened. Both are participating in separate panel discussions Wednesday morning during a Netflix press event in New York. Watch them live starting at 9 a.m. ET, right here, and keep checking IndieWire for updates from the creators.
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