Picture: Netflix
Netflix’s 2023 teen drama debuted on the streaming service with little fanfare, yet it climbed the charts and achieved success, thanks in large part to TikTok. The series has received a renewal for Season 2. Here’s everything we know, including expectations, the start of production for the new season, and an overview of the first season’s performance.
Added to Netflix on December 7th, 2023, My Life with the Walter Boys is based on the Wattpad novel from Ali Novak, published in 2014. Melanie Halsall developed the novel into a 10-part series that starred Nikki Rodriguez, Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry, and Johnny Link, with Sony Pictures Television behind the title.
The story revolves around Rodriguez’s character, Jackie Howard, a 15-year-old who moves to Silver Falls in Colorado after losing her family in a tragic car accident. She has to adjust to living alongside a family with seven sons in rural America.
Here’s what you need to know about My Life with the Walter Boys season 2:
My Life with the Walter Boys renewed for season 2
Official Renewal Status: Renewed
On December 19th, Netflix officially approved a second season of My Life with the Walter Boys.
Creator Melanie Halsall said in a statement, “I am beyond thrilled that My Life with the Walter Boys has been renewed for a second season. We have been overwhelmed by the love and support that the audience has given the show and can’t wait to dive back into the world of Silver Falls and the lives of these characters.”
The renewal came with a video with Melanie telling the main cast about the show’s renewal:
Executive Producer Ed Glauser said, “The saying It takes a village couldn’t be more true as it pertains to the success of My Life with the Walter Boys. From Ali Novak’s original novel, brilliantly adapted by Melanie Halsall, to our wonderful cast who brought her characters to life and Netflix’s steadfast commitment, we’re thrilled to continue Jackie’s journey with season two.”
As we’ve covered before, Netflix uses a variety of metrics to determine whether or not a show will come back. We’ll be diving into some of those publicly available metrics below.
How well is My Life with the Walter Boys performing on Netflix?
Let’s begin with the global Netflix top 10s. Every Tuesday, Netflix releases a snapshot of its top 40 titles for four categories. My Life with the Walter Boys falls in the English TV category.
In week 1, the series ranked as the second most watched in terms of views, with 57.40 million hours watched, equating to 7.5 million views.
If we compare those views to other premieres throughout 2023, we can see they fall in the middling range. The most comparable in terms of genre and budget would be XO, Kitty, which got 15.3M in its first four days. It did notably outpace cancelations from this year, including Glamorous and Freeridge.
In our top 10 report on December 13th, our numbers guru Frédéric said:
“The numbers are higher than Obliterated released last week and if we take a look at the fate of the new Netflix US shows of the year, I would say it has a very, very decent chance of being renewed as it’s probably not very costly.”
We can see that over the next few weeks, the show grew significantly, and perhaps most importantly, it saw very little decay in hourly views. It still remains in the global top 10s as of mid-January 2024, ranking in the top 10s for six weeks. Here’s how its viewing hours break down week-to-week:
| Week Period | Hours Viewed | Views / CVE | Rank | Week in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 2023 to Dec 10, 2023 | 57,400,000 | 7,500,000 | 2 | 1 |
| Dec 10, 2023 to Dec 17, 2023 | 97,500,000 (+70%) | 12,800,000 | 1 | 2 |
| Dec 17, 2023 to Dec 24, 2023 | 57,900,000 (-41%) | 7,600,000 | 1 | 3 |
| Dec 24, 2023 to Dec 31, 2023 | 41,400,000 (-28%) | 5,400,000 | 2 | 4 |
| Dec 31, 2023 to Jan 7, 2024 | 33,800,000 (-18%) | 4,400,000 | 4 | 5 |
| Jan 7, 2024 to Jan 14, 2024 | 22,500,000 (-33%) | 3,000,000 | 6 | 6 |
Another tool we’re going to use to measure the ongoing viewership of My Life with the Walter Boys is TikTok. Netflix is pushing this show hard on that social network (they’ve uploaded the first episodes into parts on their main channel), and given it’s a teen show, many people are creating edits.
Tracking the popularity of shows on TikTok isn’t an exact science. Still, we can look at the main Walter Boys hashtag. In week 2 of the show on Netflix, there were over 101M in the US (358M globally) over the past week and 489M globally. Fast forward to mid-January 2024, the views on the hashtag have eclipsed 2 billion.
TikTok stats for My Life with the Walter Boys
What to Expect from My Life with the Walter Boys Season 2
As a quick recap (spoilers ahead), season 1 ends with episode 10, “Happily Ever After,” where the Walter boys help Jackie with the ranch wedding that saw Will and Hayley tie the knot.
Nikhil surprises Tara with the news that he won’t be taking his new role in London and instead staying in Silver Falls, which looks to have thrown a wrench in her possible attraction to Richard.
The episode ends with Jackie, Richard, and Danny returning to New York on a plane.
My Life with the Walter Boys. Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie in episode 101 of My Life with the Walter Boys. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix/© 2023 Netflix, Inc.
Any return to My Life with the Walter Boys might see our time spent next season either in New York or, whether through a time jump or something else, Jackie is lured back to Silver Falls.
Another big cliffhanger that needs to be resolved is who Morgan is. At the end of season 1, Hayley received a text message that she was rattled by (enough to lie about it) – what’s the deal there?
That’s in addition to plenty of lingering questions about relationship tensions and possibilities headed into any second season.
Looking at theories on Reddit, several people think Alex and Kiley may end up together next season; Alex is likely going to find out why Jackie ultimately left and cut Cole out, who may even choose on his own to isolate himself. Another commented that they thought season 2 would resemble the plot of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Will The Book’s Sequel Impact Netflix’s Season 2?
Ali Novak’s website back in late 2023 teased that something new is coming for fans of the first book. On her FAQs, Novak asks if there’s going to be a published sequel to the book and says:
“In the past I’ve said there won’t be a published sequel. However, now that the show has been released on Netflix, I may or may not be working on something exciting! Keep your eyes peeled for exciting news by following me on Twitter and Instagram.”
In June 2024, it was confirmed that a book sequel (titled My Return to the Walter Boys) is indeed in the works, revealing the news to Today.com that a sequel will hit book shelves on April 15th, 2025. When asked whether this would impact or influence the story of season 2 of the show, Novak said:
“There’s a lot of content that was skipped in the first book. So maybe we’ll see some content in Season Two that is reflective of the first book.
But none of the content that I am currently writing will be in the second season. They’ve just taken different directions. Still all the same characters that we love.
If the show continues to be a success, maybe they will look at the sequel that I wrote and take some of that content, but at this time, they’re two separate entities.”
My Life with the Walter Boys. (L to R) Noah LaLonde as Cole and Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie in episode 110 of My Life with the Walter Boys. Cr. Chris Large/© 2023 Netflix, Inc.
Where is My Life with the Walter Boys in production? When will it be released on Netflix?
My Life With the Walters Boys season 2 has been in pre-production since late May 2024 and was initially meant to start production in early June 2024. However, that was ultimately pushed back.
The current filming dates (these are subject to change) are as follows:
- Filming start: July 22nd, 2024
- Filming wrap: November 15th, 2024
Filming for the second season will continue in the Canadian province of Alberta, specifically in Calgary and towns like Cochrane and Crossfield.
Jason Priestley, who directed two episodes of season 1, will return to direct in season 2.
These updated filming dates confirm that a 2024 release for My Life with the Walter Boys season 2 is unlikely. Instead, we expect a 2025 release with a likely Spring or Summer release window.
Are you looking forward to My Life with the Walter Boys season 2 on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below.