Is ‘Ratched’ Season 2 Coming to Netflix?
Netflix subscribers flocked when Ryan Murphy’s Ratched was released on the streaming platform. Many viewers consumed all eight episodes of the Sarah Paulson-led series in one sitting. And of course, fans are craving more. But has Ratched been renewed for season 2? Here’s what we know so far.
What is ‘Ratched’ on Netflix about?
Ratched is the origin story of Mildred Ratched (Paulson) from the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The iconic villain was originally played by Louise Fletcher and even earned the actor an Oscar. That said, Paulson’s Nurse Ratched is a far cry from the sinister character in the original movie, as Murphy’s latest vision attempts to humanize her.
“I feel like Nurse Ratched is sort of a shorthand for barbarism. She became almost like a catchphrase for any sort of institutional abuse of power,” Murphy told Vanity Fair in July. “What was interesting was trying to create an emotional character from a reputation that’s very cold…trying to figure out every little detail about her childhood, her relationships, her sexuality.”
‘Ratched’ was reportedly picked up for two seasons on Netflix
When Ratched Season 1 dropped on Netflix in September, the grand finale left plenty of room for a second season — and beyond. Back in 2017, The Hollywood Reporter revealed Netflix ordered two seasons of Ratched totalling 18 episodes. So it’s likely Ratched Season 2 will be 10 episodes long.
Meanwhile, Paulson recently hinted Ratched has the potential to go on for four years.
“We’ve already been picked up for a second season so we’ll at least have that story to tell,” the actor told Metro UK. “It had always been pitched to me that we would do it for about four years.”
It also seems the team has an endgame in mind for the Ratched series finale.
“The final year would be Mildred in the era of Cuckoo’s Nest,” Paulson said. “But we wouldn’t see her in the hospital. It would be her and her life outside the hospital, but during that time.”
She continued, “We have the end of the story in terms of who Mildred is out in the world in the mid-70s. But how did she become that person?”
When will ‘Ratched’ Season 2 be released on Netflix?
While it’s clear there’s plenty of story to tell, Netflix has yet to unveil a release date for Ratched Season 2. In an interview with Vulture published in September 2020, writer Evan Romansky revealed the team is “planning season 2.” He also teased the possibility of more seasons.
“When I wrote the script, I had the basis for how the audience would feel about the character over a few seasons,” Romansky said.
Meanwhile, Paulson suggested she won’t begin filming Ratched Season 2 anytime in the near future. So it might be a while before the series returns.
“Nobody knows anything about season 2 because Ryan, with the number of things he has going on, who’s to know when that’s all going to begin,” Paulson told Variety in September. “You throw in the pandemic and then we think well who knows.”
She added, “I look forward to actually just being Mildred Ratched again and looking at some of these faces.”
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