Wellmania – Freemantle Australia / Nondescript Productions
Australian comedian Celeste Barber’s big new comedy-drama Wellmania debuted on Netflix earlier in the year. We’ve learned that a new season won’t be on the way, with Barber on Instagram confirming it got canceled and won’t return for season 2.
Wellmania is an Australian Netflix Original comedy-drama series created by Brigid Delaney and Benjamin Law, which is based on the book written by Delaney, Wellmania: Misadventures in the Search for Wellness. The series is produced by Law, along with Belinda King, Celeste Barber, Bree-Anne Sykes, Chris Oliver Taylor, and Warran Clarke, with production handled by Fremantle Australia and Nondescript Productions.
Here’s what the series was about, courtesy of Netflix:
When human tornado and food critic Liv is diagnosed with ‘catastrophic health’ – trapping her in Australia and jeopardizing her dream job in New York – she throws herself body-first into a radical wellness journey, hell-bent on getting well to return home.
Wellmania Season 2 Netflix Renewal Status
Official Renewal Status: Canceled on October 31, 2023
In an Instagram post, Celeste Barber confirmed the show wouldn’t return for a season 2.
Here’s the full transcript of what Barber said in her Instagram post:
“Hi friends, um, I just wanted to check in and give you a little update to let you know that Wellmania will not be renewed for another season. I understand in the grand scheme of things with what is going on in the world at the moment, who fucking cares? But a lot of you do care, a lot of you are still asking me about it, what’s happening. So yeah, we found out yesterday that it’s not going, it’s not going to be renewed.
Netflix said it’s something about numbers. Sure, I thought it smashed it, but I don’t understand how it works. Um, so I just thank you for the love.
Thank you for the love and support around the show. It was so fun. We had such an excellent time and the way it was received was so overwhelming.
So I’m bummed that, you know, I can no longer explore that excellent character of Liv Healy. And I know a lot of you said to me that you saw yourselves in that character and wanted to see more of her, but this industry is kind of bullshit. So yeah.
Um, as I say, though, fuck with the state of the world. I know it’s not the biggest thing, but I just wanted to give you an update. So go and kiss your babies and watch friends.
Maybe not on Netflix though. Maybe like pull out an old DVD.”
How well did the show perform then?
Every Tuesday, Netflix releases top 10 data, and sadly, Wellmania never managed to enter that global top 10. As you can see from the chart below, the show, therefore, was instantly at risk of cancellation.
According to FlixPatrol, the show did feature in the Netflix daily top 10s in 46 countries altogether, with the best-performing countries including Australia, where it featured in the daily top 10s for 21 days. We typically have to see a show feature in the daily top 10s in its home country for at least 31 days to get a renewal.
What We Expected from Season 2 of Wellmania
It was an extremely topsy-turvy season for the food critic Liv. Seizing the first opportunity to escape to Sydney and leave her family behind, she jumped at the chance. However, before she was given the go-ahead to fly, Liv had to confirm that she was physically alright, even though she was also at risk of experiencing severe panic attacks. It was Liv’s eagerness to return to New York that led her mother, Lorraine, to reveal her guilt for pushing Liv’s father to continue swimming, despite warnings, which ultimately led to his heart attack.
Liv returned to New York without giving her family a proper goodbye. Upon returning, she almost immediately picked up where she left off in her career. However, she suffered a panic attack when selected to be a judge on an exciting new cooking show. Despite this, she was able to pull through and finish the show, making a name for herself in the food industry in the process.
Finally taking care of herself and propelling her career forward, Liv found herself in a difficult situation when an emergency arose with her family after her mother was seriously injured in a car accident back in Sydney. Her brother, Gaz, immediately tried to phone her after the crash, but Liv, busy judging the cooking show, missed the call and was unaware of what had happened to her mother.
While Liv has managed to find some wellness for herself, she still maintains an unhealthy relationship with some of her family, including Lorraine. Once she discovers that her mother has been involved in a serious accident, she will need to choose between prioritizing her family or her career. Putting her career first could lead to a lifetime of regret if anything happened to Lorraine. However, life continues to pull Liv back to Sydney, and just as her career was taking off, life throws another obstacle in her path—one that she will need her family’s support to overcome.
Picture: Netflix
Would you have liked to have seen a second season of Wellmania? Let us know in the comments below!