‘1899’ Creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar Hope for a 2nd Season of the Netflix Mystery Series
After the thrilling eight-episode-debut of 1899 in November, the sci-fi mystery series quickly shot to the top of the highly coveted Netflix Top Ten. It’s remained among the streamer’s highest performers. Now, the series creators, Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar have high hopes for 1899 Season 2.
But there is more behind the series’ renewal than viewer popularity (although it will likely play a key role in the verdict). 1899’s creators say they need not only a Season 2 but a Season 3 as well.
The inspiration for ‘1899,’ Netflix’s new hit mystery
The inspiration behind 1899 on Netflix is equal parts old and new. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Friese says the story was first born when she came across a creepy old photo during another research project.
The photo showed a man standing on what looked like an old ship wearing a white shirt soaked with blood. In his hand was a hammer. Friese says a story took hold after seeing the photo (specifically, the strange look on the man’s face). Instantly, she imagined the ship as a migrant ship and the man involved in uncertain terrors.
When Friese discovered the photo, Europe was amidst a refugee crisis — an unsettling period for both Friese and bo Odar, who both hail from European nations. “It felt like unified Europe was slowly breaking apart,” Friese says, “like every country was doing its own thing.”
In response, the 1899 creators decided to write a mystery series that essentially locked a group of multi-national, multi-cultural, and multi-lingual migrants aboard a boat and put them under extreme pressure to work together. The story needs more than one season to be told, however.
‘1899’ creators Netflix deal
1899 is not Netflix’s first series created by Friese and bo Odar. In 2017, Friese and bo Odar’s Dark rocketed to the top of the streamer’s charts and was reported to be Netflix’s third most-watched international show in America in 2020, according to Deadline.
On the heels of their successful maiden voyage with the streamer, 1899’s creators inked a five-year, exclusive deal with Netflix. As the deal was secured in 2018, Friese and bo Odar’s exclusivity to Netflix has one year left. This may bode well for those yearning for 1899 season 2.
Both 1899’s creators and the series cast are eager for news on renewal. In an interview from the European premiere of 1899 in Berlin (available via YouTube), actors Maciej Musial and Miguel Bernardeau say they have no idea if there will be another season of 1899 on Netflix but that they are hopeful.
Likewise, when The Hollywood Reporter asked 1899’s creators if their story is ready for two more seasons (mirroring the structure seen in Dark), Friese responded, “Yes. We always like to have an ending before we start.” Any details about that ending are under wraps. But bo Odar teases, “It gets complicated.”
How are the reviews for ‘1899’ on Netflix?
After a mind-bending (and possibly death-riddled) Season 1, 1899’s good reviews come from both critics and viewers alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a 79% Tomatometer rating. Top critics call it “an intriguing, densely layered puzzle-box mystery…” and “the true successor to Lost.”
Viewers seem to adore the series noting the show’s high suspense and dense plot. The response has been so positive it makes one wonder, if there was an 1899 season 2, how the series might live up to the hype
