Picture: Netflix
One Piece will be setting sail again! Netflix today has confirmed that the show will be returning for “more” episodes, expected to be in the form of at least a season 2.
In a renewal confirmation video released alongside the news of the renewal, Eiichiro Oda (creator of the manga and an executive producer on the show) had the following to say:
“To the Straw Hat Grand Fleet: What did you think of Season 1 of the live-action ONE PIECE? I spent a long time working on it with Netflix and Tomorrow Studios. It seems people around the world have been enjoying the show, which makes the hard work from the production team truly worth it.
To everyone who’s been a fan of ONE PIECE for years, and to those who experienced ONE PIECE for the first time, thank you so much.
Two weeks after the launch, I just received some great news. Netflix has decided to renew the show! The adventures of Iñaki and the live-action Straw Hats will continue onward!
It’ll still take a while to get the scripts ready, so please be patient.
From here on, it seems to me the Straw Hats will need a great doctor… We will see!”
Episode count for season 2 and additional story details for the new season will be shared later.
Interestingly, Netflix doesn’t use the word season 2 in its renewal announcement (similar to how The Sandman was renewed for “more episodes”), suggesting that while it’s expected a new season is on the way, exactly how it looks is unclear. Given the nature of the show, it could easily be split into different formats such as movies, self-contained story episodes, or something longer. Without further clarification, it’ll just be known as season 2 for now.
A second season renewal has looked likely with the relatively strong performance (more on this in a second) and the two interviews Tomorrow Studios have done with Variety and Deadline over the past week. In their Variety interview, Marty Adelstein (CEO) stated, “We’ve got scripts ready,” clarifying that should filming get underway quickly, the show could return “within 12-18 months”.
In another interview, the team said they hope for 12 seasons.
As Oda clarified in the above statement, there’s still writing work to be done, and naturally, with the ongoing strikes taking place with no end in sight. Any production will likely not happen until 2024 when the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are resolved.
How well is ONE PIECE performing on Netflix?
The show has been featured as the number one English language show in both weeks it has qualified for the Netflix top 10s. Between August 27th and September 10th, it picked up 285.80 million global viewing hours, which breaks down to 37.8 million views (completed viewing equivalents). Viewing hours rose 4% in week 2.
Despite the performance thus far, as we covered on our top 10 report for September 10th, One Piece is currently tracking below Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, meaning that the show is unlikely to hit the Netflix all-time top 10 list.
We’ll soon be adding One Piece to our mega-list of shows that have been renewed for new seasons, currently sitting at well over 100 shows from around the world.
We’ll be keeping our season 2 guide for One Piece updated in the coming months and years on any and all developments.
Are you looking forward to another season of One Piece on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
Rating: TV-14
