With its story grounded in realism and its brutally honest approach to victims of sexual violence, Unbelievable has been one of the most eye-opening television shows of 2019, making it one of the best titles Netflix has released this year. Unfortunately Unbelievable won’t be returning for a second season and here’s why.
We’ve said it many times recently, but if there’s one genre Netflix has nailed down, it’s crime-dramas. Some of the best series on Netflix Originals to date are crime-dramas and Unbelievable has certainly made its home towards the top of the pile. Five studios worked on producing the series and all five deserve plaudits for this excellent drama. Notably, American journalist Katie Couric worked as executive producer on the series. If you haven’t already watched Unbelievable, make sure to add it to your watch list today.
Why Unbelievable won’t be returning for season 2
Official Netflix Renewal Status: Miniseries (Last Updated: 16/09/2019)
The simplest answer is often the easiest answer, and in this case, the answer is Unbelievable was produced as a limited series. This means that Unbelievable was never intended to go beyond one season. Other popular Originals that were also produced as a miniseries are:
- Godless
- Green Frontier
- Maniac
- The Defenders
- When They See Us
Unbelievable only needed one season, consisting of eight episodes to weave its narrative.
Kaitlyn Dever as Marie Adler – Copyright. Beth Dubber/Netflix
Could Netflix turn Unbelievable into an anthology series?
Sadly, real-life crimes are perfect for adaptations into film and television. The real-life tale that Unbelievable is based upon, while horrific, is sadly not the first or last of these crimes, especially those involving victims accused of lying.
What made the story of Unbelievable so infamous in the first place was the hard work and dedication of investigative journalists T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong. Their Pulitzer prize-winning article, “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” was read by hundreds of thousands, if not millions online. Not to mention all the work that went into capturing the perpetrator by the detectives leading the investigation.
Netflix could turn Unbelievable into a series similar to that of HBO’s True Detective or FX’s American Crime Story. Both excellent shows in their own right.
While we believe the legacy of Unbelievable is best left as a miniseries, there is certainly a valid argument that an anthology series could make further excellent content for Netflix.
Is there a demand from subscribers for another season?
Going by the subscriber reaction on twitter, there is certainly plenty of people in hope of a second season.
Most of the tweets about the series are directed at wonderful performances of the cast members, not to mention some of the most popular elements of the story:
We concur Kaitlyn Dever gave an amazing performance as Marie Adler.
give kaitlyn dever her emmy right this second #unbelievablenetflix pic.twitter.com/6i50aaxTXQ
— catherine (@blvckswans) September 14, 2019
The first 15 min of #unbelievablenetflix should be mandatory watching for all the assholes who always say “why didn’t she report it!” when it comes to rape victims.
— Javachik (@javachik) September 14, 2019
If you have the guts to face how women who report sexual violence are treated by law enforcement, how they are humiliated, antagonized and abandoned by the legal system, and how sometimes it takes women to bring justice to women, please watch #unbelievablenetflix
— Nuzhat S. Siddiqi (@guldaar) September 14, 2019
Hopefully, a show like Unbelievable will be influential on anyone that watches it.
Would you like to see another season of Unbelievable? Does an anthology series interest you instead? Let us know in the comments below.
