‘Ratched’ Season 2: Everything We Need to Know About the Renewal!
Well, unfortunately, after four years of speculation and anticipation, we have finally gotten a much-awaited update on Ratched season 2 on Netflix. Despite having the initial approval for a two-season run, sadly, Ratched will NOT be returning for season 2. For the last four years, many have been wondering when the follow-up will premiere on the streaming platform, and suddenly all hopes have been slashed as the show’s frontrunner, Sarah Paulson, confirms the show won’t be returning for a second season.
Ratched falls into the genre of a psychological thriller series created by Evan Romansky and directed by Ryan Murphy. The series features Sarah Paulson as the show’s frontrunner in the titular role of Nurse Mildred Ratched. The series is mainly centered around the life of Nurse prior to the events of the iconic movie ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ in 1975. The eight-episode drama captured Nurse Mildred Ratched’s journey from her initial day working in a psychiatric hospital, navigating and trying to deal with the brutal mental healthcare system.
Season 1 of ‘Ratched’ was a prequel to the film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, focusing on the origin of Nurse Mildred Ratched, one of the best villains in the film. The show was released on Netflix nearly four years ago in 2020, and ever since then, the renewal of ‘Ratched’ season 2 has cast a shadow of doubt and uncertainty.
The show became one of the most watched shows in 2020, and after all, it is not surprising that the drama is not returning, as it has been nearly four years since the last episode was aired on TV. However, the show did manage to score four Emmy nominations, including one for Best Guest Actress, Sophie Okendo.
Sarah Paulson Puts an End To The Speculation On Renewal Of ‘Ratched’ Season 2
As mentioned before, it’s been nearly four years since the premiere of the first season in 2020, and, after years of speculation, it has been finally confirmed by Sarah Paulson that the show won’t be renewed for the second season. A fan got a chance to engage with the show frontrunner on ‘X’, to which Sarah Paulson somberly replied, “No.” The exchange was shared via a fan account of ‘American Horror Story’ on social media. A simple yet definitive answer indicates that forthcoming plans are in the pipeline and there will be no more episodes of the ‘Ratched.’
However, as of now, Netflix hasn’t made any official public statements regarding the renewal of the series. Ryan Murphy’s departure from Netflix seems to be one of the biggest reasons. Sarah Paulson has been a regular in Murphy’s universe and has appeared on multiple TV shows, earning critical acclaim for her performances in Monica Lewinsky and O.J. Simpson seasons of ‘American Crime Story’. Except for her somber reply on X, Sarah Paulson has not clarified the reasons either.
‘Ratched’ Season 2: What Could Have Been?
‘One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ is set 13 years after the events of ‘Ratched’ in the season 1 finale. This indicates that the season of ‘Ratched’ would have been focused on bridging the gap in how Nurse Ratched gets from her conflict with Edmund to becoming the head nurse at a psychiatric hospital in Oregon.
The season 1 finale concluded with Ratched trying to secure a humane execution for her brother. Before the scheduled execution of Edmund, who was supposed to be killed by lethal injection, the governor reintroduced the electric chair execution and personally executed a random criminal. Ratched plans to euthanize the suffering of Edmund at Lucia State Hospital, but the killer manages to escape the prison along with another patient and his friend Charlotte.
If the renewal for season 2 of ‘Ratched’ had been given the green light, Sarah Paulson would undoubtedly have returned as the titular character, along with Finn Wittrock as Edmund, Cynthia Nixon as Gwendolyn Briggs, Judy Davis as Nurse Betsy Bucket, and many others.