With so many surprising cancellations coming from Netflix in 2017, lots of people have found themselves lost as to which of the company’s original TV shows are confirmed for 2018, which will be left for 2019, and which aren’t coming back at all.
It may be early to already be talking about 2018, but for shows to come back next year, they have to start production soon – which means that Netflix has already begun plotting out the projects that will be returning for another year.
While most of the TV shows that got renewed for 2018 are beloved by viewers, some are just low-performing projects that have been cheap enough to make – in contrast to the expensive enterprises that became The Get Down or even Bloodline, which were both canceled.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has stated that the company is poised to spend $6 billion on original content in 2017, and that those numbers will only grow in 2018 and beyond, which means that viewers can expect even more new series, movies, talk shows, stand-up specials, and follow-up seasons for the streaming platform’s favorite shows.
It’s only July, but these are the 16 New Seasons of Netflix Shows Already Confirmed For 2018.
16. SENSE8 – TWO-HOUR FINALE SPECIAL
After becoming Netflix’s most shocking cancellation announcement of 2017, Sense8 fans fought back and the show will indeed return in 2018 for a (very short) season: a two-hour finale special.
In a letter published on the official Sense8 Twitter account, showrunner Lana Wachowski announced the two-hour finale special due in 2018 and wrote, “Now let’s find out what happens to Wolfgang,” teasing that the finale will focus on resolving the German character’s conflicts.
There is still no word in regards to if Lilly Wachowski – who did not participate in the production of Sense8’s season 2 – will return as a co-writer and co-director for the two-hour finale special along with sister Lana. The entire cast is expected to return, but no confirmation has taken place yet.
15. DEAR WHITE PEOPLE – SEASON 2
Dear White People made quite a splash with its first season, which premiered in 2017. Based on the 2014 film of the same name, this dramedy is about exploring the many different sides to racism in the United States, with characters that possess different points of view, sensibilities, and strengths.
The show has been a runaway hit for Netflix, scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and becoming an instant classic on the platform.
Barry Jenkins, whose film Moonlight won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2017, directed the fifth (and most heartbreaking) episode of Dear White People’s first season, which was quite a notable feat for a new TV show.
Unsurprisingly, Dear White People was renewed for a second season just a few months after it premiered on Netflix.
14. JESSICA JONES – SEASON 2
Also set to return in 2018 is Jessica Jones, three years after her incredibly successful debut season in 2015. Filming for the second season is said to have been done back-to-back with 2017’s The Defenders, which means that the show should be returning in the first quarter of next year.
The story taking place on season 2 of Jessica Jones is still under wraps since much of the show is supposedly taking place immediately after the events of The Defenders. While The Punisher will air in between those two shows, it is probably not going to have an impact on Jessica Jones.
Joining Melissa Rosenberg – Jessica Jones’ creator and showrunner – on season 2 is Raelle Tucker, who will serve as a new executive producer and writer, replacing Liz Friedman (who left for ABC’s Conviction).
13. ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK – SEASON 6
In 2016, Orange Is The New Black accomplished an unprecedented feat: it was renewed by Netflix for three more years, therefore confirming its seasons 5, 6, and 7.
The show will return for its sixth – and so far, second to last – year in 2018, following up on the intense story told by 2017’s fifth season that took place in a total of three days. As far as fans know, the entire cast is set to return, as there were no high-profile deaths in season 5. Since most of the prisoners turned out to be separated by the end of the season, however, all bets are off as to which characters will be abandoned by the show.
Orange Is The New Black is one of Netflix’s most watched, discussed, and well-recognized original series. It is run by Jenji Kohan, who previously did Weeds for Showtime and most recently also directed an episode of Netflix’s new comedy, Glow.
12. NARCOS – SEASON 4
The history of cocaine trafficking will keep going in Narcos’ season 3 and 4, which will tell what happened to the drug cartels after Pablo Escobar died and Colombia lost its lead. Though season 3 has yet to air in 2017, a fourth season has already been confirmed by Netflix for 2018.
The end of season 2 teased that the DEA agent Javier Peña character – portrayed by actor Pedro Pascal – will keep playing a big role in the story even after it moves out of Colombia. According to history, Mexico succeeded Colombia as the country with the leading drug cartels, and that’s where Narcos is expected to move towards in seasons 3 and 4.
Executive producers José Padilha (director of the RoboCop reboot) and Eric Newman (from Children Of Men) will stay at the helm of the series.
11. A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS – SEASON 2
A Series of Unfortunate Events premiered in 2017 to lots of critical praise for its cast and for its adaptation style of the novels it is based on. Neil Patrick Harris is great as Count Olaf, and the child actors Malina Weissman and Louis Hynes have also been standouts in their respective roles.
Season 1 consisted of eight episodes that told the story of A Series of Unfortunate Events’ initial four books. 2018’s season 2 will be slightly longer – consisting of ten episodes – and will follow books five through nine. Season 3, due in 2019, will adapt the final four books of the series.
With a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%, A Series of Unfortunate Events is one of Netflix’s strongest and most viewed original series to date, but no plans beyond season 3 have been announced so far.
10. F IS FOR FAMILY – SEASON 3
The animated sitcom F is for Family has been pretty successful for Netflix since it premiered in 2015. Along with BoJack Horseman, the adult animation comedy genre is still finding its footing in the company’s lineup of original shows, seemingly trying to reproduce the success animated series such as The Simpsons and Family Guy have brought to Fox.
F Is For Family features quite a stellar cast that consists of Bill Burr, Laura Dern, and Justin Long. Vince Vaughn is an executive producer, and comedians such as Gary Cole, T.J. Miller, and David Koechner have made recurring appearances as well.
The show started out with just six episodes during its first season, but expanded with ten more during season 2 and is expected to air other ten new episodes for season 3.
9. SANTA CLARITA DIET – SEASON 2
Drew Barrymore’s Santa Clarita Diet is one of Netflix’s most successful recently added original comedy series. It features a humorous horror story about zombies, family, and life-changing events.
Though Santa Clarita Diet scored an arguably low 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, it immediately developed a sort of cult following. It also became the first original series from Netflix to deal with zombies, which is a topic that has seen much success in AMC’s The Walking Dead, and a genre that Netflix seemingly wants to explore further.
The show was created by Victor Fresco, whose credits also include ALF, My Name Is Earl, and Better Off Ted. Along with Drew Barrymore, Santa Clarita Diet’s cast features Timothy Olyphant (Justified and Deadwood) and Liv Hewson.
8. GRACE AND FRANKIE – SEASON 4
Everyone’s favorite TV older ladies, Grace and Frankie will be back in 2018 for a fourth season. In the title roles are the legendary actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, respectively. The cast also features the great actors Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston.
After finding out their husbands were gay (and together), moving in to the same house, finding new boyfriends, and pitching elderly-friendly lube and vibrator ideas, Grace and Frankie’s season 3 ended on a sad and suspenseful note, leaving it up to season 4 to answer a lot of questions about their friendship, families, and new beginnings.
Grace and Frankie is run by Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman and According To Jim executive producer Howard J. Morris. The series was almost canceled after its first season, but oddly enough, it was saved by an affectionate tweet from Miley Cyrus.
7. INGOBERNABLE – SEASON 2
The Mexican series Ingobernable has been one of Netflix’s most successful Spanish-language original shows to date, along with Club de Cuervos, which is also from Mexico.
This political drama was renewed for a second season, due in 2018, only a month after the first season premiered in March of 2017 on Netflix. Ingobernable follows the First Lady of Mexico and her husband, the President, as they face internal and external political challenges. Though it sounds a lot like a Mexican version of House of Cards, it is actually quite different.
Actress Kate del Castillo – who had been in films such as The 33 and The Book of Life – plays the protagonist Emilia Urquiza. Actress Eréndira Ibarra, who portrayed Sense8’s Daniela – Lito and Hernando’s eternal third wheel – is also part of the main cast of Ingobernable.
6. 13 REASONS WHY – SEASON 2
13 Reasons Why is arguably Netflix’s biggest hit new series in 2017, and though it came with a lot of controversies and opened up tons of social commentary, it was renewed for a second season due in 2018.
Season 2 is poised to dive deeper into the lives of the characters affected by Hannah’s suicide in season 1. According to producers, no new tapes will be presented, and the story won’t center on yet another teenage suicide. Hannah is expected to return to the show in the form of flashbacks, and the rest of the cast is also confirmed to come back.
13 Reasons Why already told the full story of the novel of the same name that it was based on, but just like Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black and Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the show will keep going with its own creative decisions from season 2 on.
5. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT – SEASON 5
Fox’s Arrested Development only went on for three seasons originally, but it became a major successful comedy series that launched the careers of many well-known actors from today. In 2013, Netflix released a fourth season that consisted of 13 episodes are brought back the entire original cast. For some reason, season 4 was a one-off, but that changed this year as a fifth season was announced for 2018.
Season 5 is not expected to feature season 4’s standalone-character format, which was heavily criticized by fans in 2013. Some rumors have also noted that certain moments of the new season might take place in earlier years, and therefore serve as somewhat of a prequel to the original show.
The entire cast – Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Jeffrey Tambor, David Cross, Alia Shawkat, and Jessica Walter – is expected to return.
4. LOVE – SEASON 3
Writer and director Judd Apatow’s elusive Netflix original series Love is set to return to Netflix for a third season in 2018. The cast features breakout star Paul Rust and actress Gillian Jacobs (of Community fame) as characters Gus and Mickey.
Love hasn’t been one of the most watched series on Netflix, but the show has a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes and essentially furthers a partnership with Judd Apatow that Netflix is certainly eager to maintain. Also, it’s a very inexpensive TV show with an uncomplicated and non-controversial plot, a significant asset of this series in comparison to other comedies on Netflix.
As Girls came to an end in 2017, Judd Apatow’s television work is now narrowed down to Netflix’s Love and HBO’s Crashing.
3. ONE DAY AT A TIME – SEASON 2
Netflix’s reboot of One Day At A Time, the Norman Lear sitcom that originally aired on CBS between 1975 and 1984, is a great comedy that is still not in a lot of people’s radars.
One Day At A Time is about a working mother, Penelope, raising her two children along with her Cuban mother. The sitcom features many of the usual stories about parenting and growing up, but it also explores sexuality, heritage, and new definitions of family. Actress Justina Machado, known for her work in Six Feet Under and Queen of the South, plays the protagonist character of Penelope.
One Day At A Time will be back for its second season in 2018. The original sitcom went on for nine seasons and 209 episodes on CBS.
2. DAREDEVIL – SEASON 3
The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is set to be back in 2018 for Daredevil’s third season, becoming the Netflix original series in partnership with Marvel Studios to have gone the farthest so far. The show has been so successful that it even spun off The Punisher, which is set to release its first season on Netflix in 2017.
Season 3 of Daredevil will follow the hero after the events of The Defenders, which will have him teaming up with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Season 2 showrunners Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez are set to return for the third year, but featured characters and plot points have not been discussed since those elements will have a direct relation to what happens in 2017’s The Defenders miniseries.
1. UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT – SEASON 4
Tina Fey’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was initially meant to be a show on NBC, but it migrated to Netflix with the commitment that at least two seasons were going to be made. If we ignore the “dramedy” Orange Is The New Black, which premiered in 2013, Unbreakable is officially the first original comedy series Netflix has ever produced. The show has been incredibly successful for everyone involved, and after a strong third season, it was unsurprisingly renewed for a fourth year.
The cast of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt features The Office alum Ellie Kemper, Broadway star Tituss Burgess, 30 Rock alum Jane Krakowski, and the legendary Carol Kane. It is written by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, the same duo responsible for 30 Rock and the 2016 film Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
---
Which Netflix show are you most excited to binge watch next year? Let us know in the comments!