Earth Abides season 2: Why isn’t it happening?
Given that tonight marks the finale of Earth Abides on MGM+, this feels like as perfect a time as any to discuss a season 2. Or, to be more specific, why there is almost certainly not going to be one.
The first thing that you absolutely should note here is that from the moment the Alexander Ludwig series was announced, it was noted to be a limited series with a clearly-defined beginning, middle, and end. This show is based on the George R. Stewart sci-fi classic, and there was never an intention to go beyond the original story in that sense.
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With that being said here, we do recognize that some shows out there do have a tendency to reverse course even when they are labeled a limited series at one point. True Detective is a great example of one that became an anthology; meanwhile, Big Little Lies simply continued its story. You could argue that either one of these routes is possible long-term with Earth Abides, but there are a couple of problems with that.
1. How season 1 ended – Given that the finale featured a flash-forward to Ish fifty years after the apocalyptic disease first arrived, it is hard to really pick up after that. Could you circle in on some of the time we didn’t see on-screen? In theory sure, but we’d already know he lived. The dramatic tension is gone.
2. What would the point of an anthology be? – We suppose you could give us a chance to see another part of the world, but once again there is not really much of a reason to do that. Would there be a story that is more effective than what we already saw? It’s hard to think that.
The Earth Abides finale is really a reminder of what can make a limited series great — you can leave feeling satisfied and happy that there was no larger commitment. It is hard to fathom a reason to change that.
Are you glad that a show like Earth Abides existed in the first place?
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This article was written by Jessica BunBun.