Ratched – Picture: Netflix
Ratched was the third new Ryan Murphy show to hit Netflix exclusively and if you’ve already plowed through the eight episodes more is on the way but not coming to Netflix anytime soon. Now well over a year after season 1 hit Netflix, here’s what we know so far about season 2 of Ratched.
First, let’s begin with a quick recap for anyone not familiar with the show.
The TV series serves as a prequel to the 1962 novel and subsequent movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (although it’s very much its own package and can be enjoyed without seeing the original movie).
Among the cast is Sarah Paulson (who frequently teams up for Ryan Murphy productions), Finn Wittrock, Cynthia Nixon and Jon Jon Briones. The series was released to positive reviews from critics and audiences alike on September 18th, 2020.
The series was also an awards nomination magnet scooping up 4 Primetime Emmys.
How well did Ratched do on Netflix?
The series is among the most-watched Netflix Originals to date. Netflix released the statistic that 48 million people had checked out the show within the first four weeks of release.
Nielsen ratings were available for the title and recorded 972 million minutes watched in the US alone.
The top 10s can also give us an indication as to how well the show did. The series was the 10th biggest TV show of 2022 according to Flixpatrol which given the series arrived quite late in the year, is quite remarkable.
In the United States, the show stayed in the top 10s for 28 days. In the United Kingdom, it appeared in the top 10s for 39 days.
Ratched Season 2 Renewal Status at Netflix
Official Netflix renewal status: Renewed (last updated: 09/20/2020)
It’s worth noting that the Ryan Murphy overall deal with Netflix doesn’t technically come into play for Ratched (or indeed The Politician). That’s because both shows are actually made by ABC and Fox studios and then sold to Netflix as opposed to him making it under the streamer banner. The actual first full Netflix Original title to come from Murphy to Netflix was Hollywood earlier in 2020 which featured much of the glitz and glamor of Ratched but ultimately fell flat for us.
When Ratched was picked up by Netflix back in September 2017, it came with a two-season initial order. It’s diverged slightly since the original press release in that we got one episode more than originally promised but as Deadline reports, “Ratched scored a two-season, 18-episode straight-to-series order”. That means season 2 is 100% happening however, the time at which it happens depends on a lot of things as we’ll get to shortly.
A lot of outlets are reporting that the series second season is up in the air still including big outlets such as DigitalSpy and other UK tabloids. However, Netflix did pick-up The Politician with a 2 season order and honored it and we have no reason to believe that won’t be the case here.
What to expect from season 2 of Ratched
Season 1 of Ratched ends in an almighty cliffhanger as you’re probably acutely now aware.
Edmund Tolleson has narrowly escaped the mental institution rendezvousing with both Charlotte and Louise with the trio heading to Mexico but will he head back and finish the job?
Beyond that, DigitalSpy predicts we’ll see various relationships explored such as Ratched and Briggs and Edmund and Charlotte.
Whether the series will go beyond season 2 is another question. In an interview with OprahMag, “We have an end game. There’s an end to the story as we know it, culturally, but so little is known about Mildred Ratched in the movie and the book. There’s nothing about her past. She’s a monolith. It’s almost like she’s not really a person.”
Some have speculated that the series will eventually end crossing over with the movie that released in 1975 but for now, that’s all speculation.
When will Ratched season 2 begin production?
Current production status: Still unknown (Last updated: October 2021)
Now over a year after season 1 landed on Netflix, we still have no clue as to when the series will get back into production.
We’ve seen no evidence of any filming and given the heavy schedules for the likes of Sarah Paulson. She notably has been working on American Crime Story for instance.
Murphy is also hard at work on plenty of projects for Netflix with 11 in development as of November 2021 (in addition to his other library titles available).
Our best bet right now is that production will likely get underway in 2022 at some point meaning that even a 2022 release date for Ratched season 2 seems to be a push right now.
One thing we will mention is that one of the filming locations for Ratched, the Lucia Lodge Resort in Big Sur, notably burnt down over the summer.
O histórico Lucia Lodge Resort em Big Sur na Califórnia, que foi usado como um dos cenários principais da primeira temporada de #Ratched foi destruído após um incêndio na noite passada em seu restaurante. pic.twitter.com/oZkKXm4m9q
— Ratched Brasil (@BrasilRatched) August 12, 2021
Although we’ll be keeping an eye on all things Ratched season 2 right here at What’s on Netflix, there’s also a couple of Twitter accounts we implore you to follow:
- AHSZone on Twitter and Instagram is a love letter to Ryan Murphy content and they keep up-to-date with all his upcoming productions including Ratched.
- BrasilRatched on Twitter also has some excellent coverage of the series including where we found most of the BTS shots leading up to the promotion of the show.