‘The Society’ Season 2: Will It Ever Return To Our Screens?
‘The Society’ was one of Netflix’s biggest hits of 2019. So, why was it canceled? HollywoodLife is breaking down everything about ‘The Society’ and if there’s hope for season 2.
Everyone was talking about The Society after its debut on May 10, 2019. The Netflix show became a massive hit on the streaming service and made stars out of its young, mostly unknown cast. Fans waited anxiously for season 2, only to find out it wasn’t happening. Understandably, fans were devastated.
The Netflix series follows a group of high school teens who head out on a camping trip. When they return home, they find themselves in what seems to be a parallel universe — with all of the adults gone. Initially, the newfound freedom is welcomed, but things quickly spiral out of control. The kids seek to find answers about what’s happened to them while also trying to establish order amongst themselves. Alliances are formed and enemies are made, with some not making it out alive in this modern take on Lord of the Flies. Cassandra (Rachel Keller) notably rises as a leader in the beginning, but she is shockingly killed off in episode 3. The end of the first season left things wide open for a season 2. Here’s everything we know about The Society season 2:
Will There Be A ‘The Society’ Season 2?
No, there will not be a second season. Unfortunately, The Society season 2 is not happening. The show was actually renewed for season 2 in July 2019, with filming expecting to get underway in March 2020. The following cast members were expected to return: Kathryn Newton, Alex Fitzalan, Kristine Froseth, Toby Wallace, Jacques Colimon, Gideon Adlon, Sean Berdy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Olivia DeJonge, Salena Qureshi, Alex MacNicoll, Jack Mulhern, Spencer House, Emilio Garcia-Sanchez, Grace Victoria Cox, and José Julián. However, Netflix reversed the decision in August 2020. As of now, The Society season 2 has been canceled.
Why Was It Canceled?
Netflix blamed the shocking cancellation of The Society season 2 on the COVID-19 pandemic. “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 on August 21, 2020. “We’re disappointed to have to make these decisions due to circumstances created by COVID, and we are grateful to these creators, including: Jonathan Entwistle, Christy Hall, Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Dan Cohen and Josh Barry at 21 Laps Entertainment for I Am Not Okay With This; Chris Keyser, Marc Webb, and Pavlina Hatoupis for The Society; and all the writers, casts and crews who worked tirelessly to make these shows for our members around the world.”
The cancellation of The Society and I Am Not Okay With This was based on uncertainty around production dates, balancing the needs and availabilities of a large cast [The Society], and unexpected budget increases due to COVID. The Society’s cast was made up of largely series regulars. Olivia Nikkanen, who played Gwen, had been upped to a series regular for season 2.
❤️ I am proud #thesociety pic.twitter.com/PxS51xRmft
— KATHRYN NEWTON (@kathrynnewton) August 21, 2020
The cast was devastated by the cancellation, just like the millions of fans. Hours after the news was announced, star Kathryn Newton, who played Allie, posted a screenshot of a Zoom call with the cast. “I am proud,” she tweeted, along with a heart emoji. Alex Fitzalan, who starred as Harry, posted a series of photos of his time working on the show. “Thank you all for following along and waiting so patiently for so long. I’m sorry there’s no chapter 2 to finish up this story. BYE HARRY BINGHAM,” he captioned an Instagram photo of Harry and Allie.
Creator Christopher Keyser called the renewal reversal “pretty upsetting.” He told Variety, “We spent the last bunch of months getting ready to go back again, dealing with all the COVID protocols. And then I got a call from Netflix saying, ‘We have made this decision.’ It was obviously pretty upsetting and abrupt.”
Season 1 Ending
Season 1 of The Society ended with several cliffhangers. Allie was ousted as New Ham’s leader by Campbell (Toby Wallace), Lexie (Grace Victoria Cox), and Harry. Allie and Will (Jacques Colimon) were taken as prisoners. Campbell, Harry, and Lexie decided to become New Ham’s newest leaders after framing Allie and Will.
Grizz (Jack Mulhern), Bean (Salena Qureshi), and others discovered new, fertile land outside of New Ham to settle on. When they return to New Ham, they’re stunned to see Allie and Will arrested. The last scene of the series goes back to West Ham. Cassandra and Allie’s mother is seen reading a book to children next to a memorial with the names of all the teens that are stuck in New Ham.
The final scene left fans wondering if the teens are actually dead or possibly part of some social experiment. In addition to all the questions about why the teens are stuck in New Ham, The Society never revealed the father of Becca’s baby. (It has to be Campbell, right?)
In those last moments when Allie is being shuttled away and screamed at, she doesn’t look scared at all. Kathryn explained that look on Allie’s face in the finale. “She has learned the rules of power really quickly, and one of them is not to reveal what you know. She is going to let someone fail,” Kathryn told Refinery29 in 2019.
HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Kathryn in November 2020 about The Society. When it comes to Allie and Harry, Kathryn said, “One hundred percent they are endgame. That’s it. They’re meant to be. They’re meant to be together.” She was “really hoping for some more Hallie content” in season 2.
Grace definitely wanted to see the “chaos” that happened in New Ham with Lexie, Campbell, and Harry leading the way. “I would love to see Lexie trying to rule New Ham and because of Campbell and the guard and Harry, it just going terribly and all of the chaos that they would get into I think that would be really fun to act and for people to watch,” she told Cosmopolitan UK.
As for what was supposed to happen in season 2, the show’s creator told Variety that there would have been “a descent into greater darkness — the rules don’t hold.” He also noted that the big mysteries surrounding the show would have been addressed. “We spent a lot of time talking about the reasons why the children of West Ham became the children of New Ham. What the cause of that was, how they might return home,” he said. Christopher had a 5-season plan for the show.
Christopher also revealed to Metro that season 2 would have been even more dangerous than the first. While Allie and Cassandra “didn’t take revenge on their enemies,” but by the end of the season, the show was “getting to the part where people are beginning to actually punish people who disagree with them and that’s a real risk.”
Shows Similar To ‘The Society’
While The Society season 2 is not in the cards, there are a number of shows to watch to feed that Society craving you have. If you love The Society, The Wilds will be right up your alley. The Amazon Prime Video series premiered in 2020 and follows teenage girls from very different walks of life who find themselves stranded on a remote island. They soon realize they’re part of an elaborate social experiment. The show has been renewed for season 2, and The Society star Alex Fitzalan has joined the cast!
The 100 is also in the same vein as The Society and The Wilds. The series, which premiered on The CW in 2014, is set 97 years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization. A spaceship housing 100 juvenile delinquents is sent back to Earth in hopes of repopulating the planet. From the moment they arrive on Earth, things quickly go awry. All 7 seasons of the show are available on Netflix.
The Society was full of mystery, and if you’re all about twisty teen shows, then 13 Reasons Why is the perfect binge-watch. All 4 seasons are available to watch on Netflix. Outer Banks became a massive quarantine hit in 2020. The series has everything from teen angst to epic romances to shocking twists. Binge the first season before season 2 comes out. There’s no release date yet, but Outer Banks season 2 is expected to premiere in 2021.
And if you’ve been living under a rock and still have not watched Stranger Things, you should totally do that. There’s plenty of mystery and thrills to go around in the first 3 seasons, and season 4 is on the way!
Not going to lie, we’re still bummed The Society season 2 is not happening. However, hope is not ever truly lost when it comes to this era of revivals and reboots. If you’re still missing The Society, you can watch the first season over and over again on Netflix. That perfect first season will never go away.