Hollywood Season 2 - What We Know So Far
If the first season of Netflix's drama series Hollywood left you wanting more, we have some potentially good news. While Netflix hasn't officially announced Hollywood season 2, it seems as if the stars may be aligning to bring viewers more glitzy, glamorous goodness.
Originally, the series, which premiered on Netflix on May 1, was only supposed to be one season long. Hollywood creator Ryan Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter at the beginning of May 2020 that a second season wasn't in the cards. "It's not something I'm thinking about," he said at the time. "Netflix and I have not even discussed it and nor would we unless it had some huge success." However, not even a week later, Murphy revised his statement in an Instagram comment, saying that Hollywood was "planned as a limited series, but it's become so popular that everyone is asking for another season. So who knows? I sure do love this cast though."
Murphy is no stranger to long-running shows or non-traditional anthology series formats. Both Nip/Tuck and Glee ran for over five years; series like American Horror Story and American Crime Story tell different stories with a rotating repertory of actors; and if Feud season 2 had happened, it would have told an entirely new story. (The new season of the FX series was supposed to be about Prince Charles and Diana, but, according to Deadline, that fizzled out and Murphy moved to Netflix.)
Suffice to say, there are a lot of directions Hollywood could go in season 2 ... all the cast and crew needs is a green light. Here's what we know about what a new season of Hollywood could look like, and when we might get to see it.
What's the release date for Hollywood season 2?
Since Netflix hasn't announced Hollywood season 2 yet, there's no release date to speak of.
That said, on May 19, 2020, the official Twitter account for Hollywood issued a tweet that seemed for a second like it was leaning toward an imminent renewal announcement. "What's that? You want more, you say?" read the tweet, which also included a black-and-white snap of actors Jeremy Pope (who plays Archie Coleman), David Corenswet (the man behind Jack Costello), and Darren Criss (who portrays Raymond Ainsley). Then, the account threaded a reply — with the caption "Okay, you asked nicely. Here's a little more to drool over." — with more pictures of the show's handsome, smoldering cast members. While it may have been a hint that there are talks about a second season of Hollywood, maybe the series' Twitter account was just taking the opportunity to show off the beauty of its stars.
If the show were to be renewed for season 2, it would probably be several months before it even starts filming much less gets released on Netflix. At the time season 1 dropped on Netflix, film and television production worldwide was shut down indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. If and when Netflix renews Hollywood for season 2, it still has to be written, filmed, edited — the whole shebang. There's no telling how long that would take, but fans shouldn't look for another season of Hollywood for at least another year to year and a half.
Who will be cast in Hollywood season 2?
While there hasn't been any formal casting announcements for Hollywood season 2, there's been much chatter about the notion of the series becoming an anthology like Murphy's American Horror Story and American Crime Story — casting the same core collection of actors (plus a few new additions) in different roles to tell a new story.
Taking to Twitter on May 6, 2020, Hollywood executive producer Janet Mock addressed a fan's suggestion that Hollywood season 2 should follow the American Horror Story model as an anthology series. "A season 2 of Hollywood but in a different era of Hollywood with new characters but this way you can keep the same cast [...] MAKE IT HAPPEN PLS !!!" the fan tweeted. Mock replied, "We have a very similar vision... [winking emoji] IF we were to tell another HOLLYWOOD story." At the very least, Mock is thinking about a second season of Hollywood and what casting might be like — and the tone of the emoji she used is very promising.
For her part, Hollywood star Patti LuPone, who plays Avis Amberg on the show, is absolutely down to return for a second season. In an April 2020 interview with The Daily Beast, LuPone voiced her enthusiasm about returning. When asked if she'd like to appear on a possible season 2 — which could potentially be set in the '60s (more on that later) — the actress said, "You bet. 'Please Ryan, bring me back.' Oh yeah. I'm already imagining the go-go boots and mini-skirts."
That said, there's still a lot of potential story in the Golden Era of Hollywood and tragic real-life figures like Rock Hudson's Giant co-star James Dean or Marilyn Monroe, whose stories could be explored with a totally different cast. As perfect as the ending of Hollywood season 1 was, there's no denying that that era of history have more to say.
What will Hollywood season 2 be about?
By now, it should come as little surprise that the plot of Hollywood season 2 hasn't been confirmed. However, the popular idea is that a follow-up season will take place near the end of the Hollywood Golden Age. In speaking with The Hollywood Reporter — prior to the comment he made on Instagram about a second season possibly being in the cards — Murphy stated that he "would never follow the characters again" but would be open to exploring Hollywood "20 years from" the end of season 1, which would place season 2 in the 1960s. It's important to note here that Murphy made those comments at a time when he also said he and Netflix executives wouldn't discuss making Hollywood season 2 "unless it had some huge success," so perhaps his ideas have changed.
Now, if Murphy does intend to do a time-jump to the '60s for a hypothetical season 2 of Hollywood, there's tons of room for creative, captivating storytelling. The 1960s saw major changes in Hollywood — from the fashion to societal norms to pop culture focus and more — and perhaps Hollywood season 2 could show that the decade looked like if some of those changes had already happened. As Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter in early May 2020, "I could see at the end of this creating the idea of, 'Well, what would the world look like?'"
What would the counter culture that defined an era look like if baby boomers grew up seeing films like Meg and Dreamland in theaters? What other changes to history would Mock and Murphy make? If a possible Hollywood season 2 would be anything like Hollywood season 1, we need to see it ASAP.