Numerous fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell miniseries are wondering whether BBC will make a season 2 of their favorite series. There are some rumors, but the BBC is taking too long to announce the release date. Many see this as a negative sign that also means the end of the show. The first season ended in June 2015 with a platter of mixed comments.
What’s interesting is that not many people know the fact that this TV Show is an adaption of Susanna Clarke’s first two volumes of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Taking that there was an adaptation of first two volumes we’d like BBC to produce at least another season just so that we can see the end of the story. Now, let’s see what has happened in the series and what might be in store for us in season 2.
Before reviewing this TV Show, we strongly suggest that you read the books. They have a 3.8 rating on goodreads.com, and it is common that paper writer editions are almost always better than their film/series adaptation. For those who aren’t so eager to read, season 1 is available on Netflix, however, we should warn you before you start watching that it is quite addictive. We had a kind of a marathon when we watched it since we didn’t rest until we saw everything till the last episode all from one try.
Short review and summary of season 1
The plot is one of those alternative history stories. It is set in 19th century England. Since it is alternative history, there is magic, but it is not allowed to be used. And of course, our main character, who is a magician called Jonathan Strange, wants to and will do it. His biggest ambition is to become the greatest magician of all times, and that is the reason behind his desire.
Our other protagonist is Mr. Norrell who wants to show that magic should be looked at as a completely normal thing and therefore thrives to implement it into common realm society. The series start to become feisty when the fiancé of a certain minister is found dead. That is when our two protagonists jump in to resolve this matter.
Why should BBC consider it?
First of all, we’d like to point out that both books and TV series have good ratings and are popular, so we think that BBC has nothing to lose but much to get if they opt to continue with this. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell has a solid 8.3 rating on IMDB and 90% fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com website. However, the show wasn’t so popular when it aired, but it gathered pace steadily in the following months.
Possible return
The season 1 was aired until June 2015. It consisted of seven episodes and ended with a chapter that many believed to be the final goodbye. The name of that one was simply Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. After that, we had an official statement from Susanna Clarke which said that she was writing a sequel to the novels. That means that we could soon get a completely new story giving BBC the opportunity to profit even more. We don’t see how this is not a win-win situation for us all. Fans are demanding it, so there is an audience, and we only need execution from the BBC.
What worries us is that the company said nothing about their plans for this show. HBO, David Benioff and DB Weiss killed it with Game of Thrones which has six seasons, and seventh is being produced. That show is also an adaptation of works of George RR Martin, so why don’t we apply the same principle to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell? Therefore we expect BBC to announce the second season in the near future.
We will keep an eye and inform you if anything official pops up.
Until then, hang in there and wait. It sucks to wait, we know, but we think that there are real chances of this show making a comeback. And yes, we speculate that is going to happen anytime soon, maybe even this year.
