‘Hollywood’ Could Take the ‘American Horror Story’ Approach For Season 2

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Netflix’s Hollywood season 1. So you’ve binge-watched all seven episodes of Netflix’s Hollywood. Now what? Is this the last time we’ll see Camille, Archie and the rest of the crew? Maybe not. While Netflix’s Hollywood season 2 release date, spoilers, news and cast haven’t been confirmed, the season 1 finale hints that Ryan Murphy may have more in store for another season about Tinseltown and its aspiring actors and filmmakers.

Hollywood, which premiered on May 1, followed a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood as they tried to make it in Tinseltown. The seven-episode series examined how race, sexuality, gender and privilege affected one’s success and the opportunities they’re afforded, especially around the hot new film, Peg, which everyone in Hollywood wanted a part in. Despite the efforts of Ace Pictures’ racist founder, Ace Amberg (who refused to cast black actress Camille Washington as the lead of Peg), Camille was cast and Peg (retitled as Meg) became the most successful film in years. The finale of Hollywood marked a new start for the entertainment industry, where people of color, the LGBTQ+ community and women were starting to receive the recognition they deserved. So is there a season 2? Here’s what we know so far.

Netflix.

Is there a season 2?

So far, there hasn’t been a season 2 confirmed for Hollywood. If the show is renewed, we should expect to hear from Netflix in June or July, which would be a month to two months after Hollywood premiered. (That’s around the time frame that Netflix usually decides whether a show is worth a renewal or not.)

That said, Hollywood is described on Netflix’s site as an “anthology,” which means that if there is a season 2, is may not be with the same characters. Murphy has also described the show as a miniseries, which means that maybe Hollywood is done for with its one season. Still, we have hope that there will be another season.

When’s the release date?

Hollywood hasn’t been renewed for another season yet, so a release date for a season 2 hasn’t been announced. But if the show is picked up, we would expect season 2 to come out in 2021 or 2022, given the 2020 coronavirus crisis that has shut down production of TV shows and films across the world.

Who’s in the cast?

For many of Murphy’s shows (American Crime Story, American Horror Story, etc.), the director-screenwriter-producer casts the same actors each season in different roles. If Hollywood is an anthology, we expect the main cast to return for a second season: David Corenswet, Darren Criss, Laura Harrier, Joe Mantello, Dylan McDermott, Jake Picking, Jeremy Pope, Holland Taylor, Samara Weaving, Jim Parsons and Patti LuPone. Whether they will play the same characters is unknown.

Netflix.

What will season 2 be about?

At the end of season 1, the characters started to film a new movie, titled Dreamland, about the way Rock Hudson and Archie Coleman met. (To recap: Archie worked as a gigolo at a gas station, where he was hired by Rock, a closeted actor. Rock and Archie fell in love with each other, and at the Oscars, where Archie was nominated, the two came out as a gay couple.) At the end of the season, Henry Wilson, Rock’s gay agent, also told Ace Pictures’ CEO, Avis, that he wanted to make a film about a gay love story. In the first shot of the film, Rock plays the gigolo at the gas station while Jack plays a customer who hires him. Archie is also back to write the film, while Raymond Ainsley (the director of Meg) is back to direct. Season 2 could revolve around the production of this film or other movie ideas that were introduced at the end of the season, such as Raymond’s initial idea about a movie about an Asian protagonist with Anna May Wong as the lead.

That said, if Hollywood is an anthology, it’s unlikely the same characters will return, which means that the show will likely not revolve around these films but another idea.