Officially, Sirens is a “limited series” on Netflix, meaning that this was intended as a one-and-done type of show. Also officially, Sirens is a hit with the dark comedy series racking up 16.7 million views and 79.2 hours streamed within the first week of release. And we know what frequently happens to wildly successful limited series (see Netflix’s The Four Seasons along with Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers and HBO’s The White Lotus and Big Little Lies) on streaming and cable. That label frequently falls by the wayside, so it’s no wonder that people are asking whether that might happen here, too.
Sirens was bound for success while targeting the same audience as the above-mentioned shows while exploring class and power (with a Greek mythological twist) at a lavish estate. The bang-up cast includes Julianne Moore (whose filmography is still kicking), Kevin Bacon (whose The Bondsman is awaiting renewal), Meghann Fahy (who was the The White Lotus second-season breakout), and Milly Alcock (who has gone from dragons to James Gunn’s DCU), so of course the series ascended the charts.
And not everybody in this series was left standing where they first appeared. The most pivotal twist resulted in Alcock’s Simone replacing Moore’s Kiki as partner of Bacon’s Peter Kell, and there’s certainly room to follow up on that story (or anthologized stories of different characters), if Netflix so chooses.
Will There Be A Sirens Season 2 On Netflix?
Don’t hold your breath. Netflix is hanging onto the “limited series” labelling for now, although if the streaming numbers stay strong, you can bet that discussions will take place, as is currently the case for Netflix’s Adolescence.
On the subject of one ambiguous closing thread, showrunner Molly Smith Metzler spoke with Netflix and addressed the “recasting” of Mrs. Kell in the story what Simone’s true feelings might be:
“There’s this sense of, ‘There’s just a new Mrs. Kell now?’” she says. “She’s been recast, and it’s sort of like [on TV], when we just pretend the actor isn’t different. There’s ferocity to that world and the way people come and go.”
So is Simone happy in that final shot, looking out at the water? “Well, it’s funny because I’ve seen all the different tapes and the one we used, we all described as the Mona Lisa smile because in that famous painting, you don’t really know exactly what she’s thinking,” says Smith Metzler. “And so the fun is that it’s up to you in the audience to decide how she feels about it and how you feel about it. I have my answer, but I don’t know that it’s the answer.”
Good luck in holding onto that role, Simone? The five-episode season of Sirens is currently streaming on Netflix.