With The Stranger debuting on Netflix a few years ago, some fans have wondered if a follow-up could be in the works.
Based upon acclaimed author Harlan Coben’s 2015 novel, The Stranger arrived on Netflix in early 2020. The series, which starred Richard Armitage and Hannah John-Kamen, premiered with an 83% Rotten Tomatoes score and enjoyed a healthy degree of popularity.
Will The Stranger Get a Season 2?
As of writing, The Stranger’s chances of a Season 2 are quite slim. This is due to a few factors. Chiefly among them is that the show was a miniseries and was only planned to last a single season.
Furthermore, The Stranger was based on a standalone novel. Author Harlan Coben stated in 2020 (to Express), after the series had premiered on Netflix, that he didn’t think it was “fair” to drag out the story into another batch of episodes:
“In crime dramas like ‘The Stranger’ or ‘Safe or The Woods’, I don’t think it’s fair to make viewers watch several seasons before you get the answers.”
Coben doubled down on that idea, noting that The Stranger was conceived as a miniseries for a reason and that the production team hadn’t felt a need to tell more tales with the characters:
“We create the series to be only one season for that reason, and so far, we haven’t felt compelled to bring the characters back.”
In 2023, Radio Times spoke to the author. During that conversation, he admitted that “sometimes [he thinks] about bringing back The Stranger” given that there are potential new stories to be told:
“Sometimes I think about bringing back ‘The Stranger’, maybe, because she can go somewhere else and start a new case with a new group.”
But Coben remained steadfast and resisted the “temptation” to do a Season 2:
“I do try to resist that temptation unless I know season 2 will be at least as good [as], if not better than, season 1.”
Netflix even extended an offer to Coben to produce more of The Stranger, but he ultimately declined, expressing a desire to move on to his next project:
“When we did ‘The Stranger’, we were offered the possibility to do season 2, but I was like, ‘I just think the story of ‘Stay Close’ will be better than a season 2 right now of ‘The Stranger’.’ One day I may change my mind. After I finish this one, I may change my mind after it airs, but right now, I’m pretty happy doing it that way.”
What Could The Stranger Season 2 Look Like?
The plot of The Stranger revolves around a mysterious young woman who spreads secrets that are not her’s to share. One day, this woman approaches Richard Armitage’s Adam Price and informs him his wife faked a pregnancy.
When this information turns out to be true, Adam’s wife Corinne vanishes. This event sets the narrative thrust for the entire miniseries as more and more of the stranger’s secrets come to light.
By the close of The Stranger’s eighth and final episode, although the central mystery is solved, many threads are left dangling, namely, the storyline shared by teenaged characters Daisy, Mike, and Dante.
However, many viewers would agree that these secondary yarns being spun in the series were somewhat inconsequential and that The Stranger still has a satisfying conclusion despite every plot point not being tied up.
All eight episodes of The Stranger are streaming exclusively on Netflix.
