This article was published on 11/7 and republished on 11/9.
Netflix’s highest-profile returning show this past week is Black Doves season 2, the Keira Knightley spy thriller that is back after a two-year break. So far, it’s not doing amazingly on the U.S. charts, but at least it has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score. There is, however, another series that has returned for its own season 2, and landed its second 100% Rotten Tomatoes-scored season.
It’s a comedy called North of North, which has returned to Netflix after a year and a half, and two months after it aired on APTN+ and CBC. Both seasons of the show have a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, though there aren’t many reviews for season 2 yet. Here’s the synopsis of the series:
“A young Inuk woman wants to build a new future for herself after a spontaneous — and extremely public — exit from her marriage. But it won’t be easy in a small Arctic town where everybody knows your business.”
Despite the high score, things are a bit up in the air for North of North from here. The show has not hit the U.S. top 10 list since its release, whereas season 1 did. Like many second seasons of shows, it seems to have lost viewership. Does that mean there’s no chance for another season? No, not really.
There are two different factors at play here, the first being that this is a show that is co-produced by CBC/APTN, rather than something that needs to earn just a Netflix greenlight for more seasons. It is classified as a Netflix original, however, and it would be a joint decision among all three parties on whether it returns.
The good news is that even if it has lower viewership than season 1, it is a lower-budget series than many, many other productions on a platform like Netflix. Cost is hugely important when it comes to renewals like this, and everyone may want to keep the critical darling going, top 10 list placement or not. Here’s what some of those critics are saying about season 2 of North of North:
AV Club: “North Of North is an ideal comfort watch… layered with quirky small-town residents whose stories and shenanigans are skillfully woven together with their Inuit history and culture.”
The Film Nerdette: “It’s also enlightening and important to see the Inuit culture and storytelling highlighted on screen. The filmmakers and characters generously continue to share it with the audience in yet another great installment…”
Clearly it’s a show worth checking out, and we’ll keep an eye out for a potential season 3 announcement, though it may be some time before we hear anything.
Update (11/9): Checking back in to see how North of North is doing, and there’s some good news on that front! North of North has finally made it to Netflix’s top 10 list. That’s pretty impressive, given that this is now four days after its Nov. 5 launch, and it’s relatively rare to see a show that doesn’t debut on the list crawl its way up to it. I mean, it happens, but it shows that the reviews are helping to spread word of mouth about its return and its quality.
Season 2 has kept that 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, but there are still not many reviews in. It also does not have an audience score yet, and it is true that in general, even with its new top 10 placement, there does seem to be a bit less interest than in season 1.
It is likely too soon for a decision to be made about a season 3 renewal, but star Anna Lambe spoke about the prospect to TV Insider:
“You know, I think in season 3, you know, season 2, Siaja goes about trying to solve problems and trying to tackle things in a very CIA way, which is very impulsively and very kind of like jump first, think second. And I would love in a season 3 to see what it means to Siaja to be a bit more thoughtful and considerate with something as sensitive as reconnecting this relationship between her mother and and her sister. And what does it mean to um create that kind of space.”
While it may be no great surprise that the star wants to continue the show, North of North does seem like it has a better chance than most, and this latest update is certainly good news. We’ll keep tracking how it does from here, but it’s so far, so good for the overlooked comedy, and hopefully more people will give it a shot now that it’s showing up on the overall list.
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This article was originally published on Forbes.com
