Will The Serpent season 2 ever happen? The original 2021 BBC One-Netflix show appears to be a standalone limited series, however, the subject's fate may determine whether or not a second installment gets made. Set primarily during the '70s, The Serpent tells the life story of an infamous con artist and serial killer, Charles Sobhraj.
The Serpent stars Tahar Rahim as Sobhraj, a jewels dealer who robbed tourists in Asia and used the alias "Alain Gautier." While living a glamorous lifestyle with girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc, aka "Monique" (Jenna Coleman), he began murdering travelers who could potentially expose his crimes. The Serpent doesn't provide much insight into the psychological factors that motivated Sobhraj but does imply that he was narcissistic enough to believe that he could outsmart authorities. The April 2021 Netflix release explores how a Dutch diplomat named Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) managed to track down "Gautier" and link him to various murders.
Over eight episodes, The Serpent chronicles Sobhraj's crimes, along with the events that led to his capture. The Netflix show reveals that the subject could've lived as a free man in France but inexplicably returned to Kathmandu, where he was ultimately charged with murder and imprisoned. The Serpent's final credits provide an update on Sobhraj all the way through December 2020, and it seems that his story may end in an Asian jail cell. Here's everything we know about the possibility of The Serpent season 2 on BBC One and/or Netflix.
Will The Serpent Season 2 Be Renewed?
The Serpent season 2 hasn't been ordered by BBC One and/or Netflix. The eight-episode first installment covers all of Sobhraj's legal issues and ends with the revelation that he remains imprisoned in Kathmandu, Nepal. Unless there's a significant new development in his case, The Serpent season 2 likely won't happen.
The Serpent Season 2 Release Date Info
A documentary could potentially become The Serpent season 2, at least in spirit. If the Netflix series does well and audiences are curious about the real-life subjects, then a complementary production could be greenlit. In that case, a traditional Netflix documentary or multi-episode docuseries could theoretically be produced and released by 2023 (if not earlier), assuming that Netflix could round up people who knew the serial killer Sobhraj during the '60 and '70s.
The Serpent Season 2 Story Details
If Sobhraj managed to escape from prison or was somehow released, then a premise would indeed be in place for The Serpent season 2. Netflix could also take an anthology approach and focus on an entirely different criminal, however that seems unlikely because of the subject's specific connection to the title. According to a 2018 report (via Rediff), Sobhraj has undergone multiple open-heart surgeries, so it doesn't seem as though his situation will change any time soon.