Dear Kate Winslet, Can We Get a 'Mare of Easttown' Season Two?
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The thing about detective shows is that there are always more mysteries to solve. They never have to run out, if you don’t want them to. Hell, Sherlock Holmes was created in 1887 and they’re still making spinoffs. So, what we’re saying is, while Mare of Easttown is much more than a detective show—it’s show about loss and motherhood and community—it’s also a detective show. More crimes can and will occur in Easttown. But will the vape-loving, Rolling Rock-drinking Mare return to our screens to solve them?
After a first season that managed to be both highly suspenseful and devastatingly emotional, Mare of Easttown’s finale did not disappoint. We had a heartbreaking confession, a satisfying conclusion to the mystery, and a meaningful summation of the series’ poignant themes. Now that the show has cleaned up throughout awards season, taking home multiple Emmys and Critics' Choice Awards (including Best Actress for Kate Winslet), the case for its return is all the stronger.
So although creator Brad Ingelsby sees the first season as a wrapped entity, he doesn't object to a second season, if the story is right. “We didn't ever talk about returning... it's very much a closed story. I think you've seen that now, the story ends. I think all the loose ends get tied up. I hope so at least,” he told Esquire before the finale aired. “But I think if we could ever crack a story that was as emotional and surprising, then I think maybe there's a conversation. I don't have that in my head right now, but I mean, listen, I love Mare. If we could ever give her a great season, I would certainly consider it. I would only do it if I was convinced we could make it great, though. I wouldn't do it just because you have a chance to do it. I would want to make sure that it was as rich and compelling as I hope this season has been.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ingelsby sowed some doubt about the future of Season Two, saying that writing another season isn't as simple as coming up with a suspenseful murder mystery:
I think the trick with season two is: How can you outdo that? I don’t know that you’ll ever be able to re-create that level of emotion. What does a second season look like? What’s the deserving second chapter that can fulfill that murder-mystery need but also tell the second chapter of Mare’s personal journey? I think there’s enough stories, in terms of mystery, that you’ll be able to create a new one. But it’s the personal journey that scares me a little bit, because we used a lot of the tools in the toolbox in season one. That’s a very long-winded way of saying that I don’t really know if there’s a season two.
But Ingelsby's emotional ties to the characters are strong, so don't despair yet. "I really care about the characters and I would love to write Helen and Mare and Siobhan again," Ingelsby said. "That’s the dilemma. If I didn’t care about the characters so much, I would be happy to leave them and never think about them again. I’d love to give them a second life. I just don’t know what it is."
In an interview with Deadline, HBO president Casey Bloys offered hope that more Mare could go forward. “[Mare of Easttown] was such a good group of talent in front of and behind the camera," Bloys said. "Kate, Brad and Craig are really busy, with movies in Kate’s case and other projects in Brad’s and Craig’s. I don’t know, honestly, if it’s going to be the kind of thing that they go off and do another project and then when schedules align, maybe they come back. It’s really kind of up in the air and really up to them. Obviously we love working with them and I think the show was great. That’s one we’re just going to have to see how time goes."
For what it's worth, Winslet is interested. “I would absolutely love to play Mare again,” she told TVLine when asked about the possibility of a second season back in May of 2021. “I miss her. I really do. It’s the strangest thing. I feel like I’m in mourning. It was an absolutely wonderful role." In August, Winslet went on to say that Inglesby has some "very cool ideas," but expressed caution about going back into Mare's headspace. "It did cost me a lot emotionally to be her, and I have to figure out if I can summon it all up again and do it again," Winslet said.
After Mare of Easttown snagged a whopping sixteen Emmy nominations in July, Winslet discussed with Deadline a potential Season Two, describing it as "an ongoing conversation." However, she was quick to manage expectations, saying, “I absolutely believe there’s more chapters to her story. However, just because the story has touched people that doesn’t necessarily mean creatively we can do it again. But it doesn’t mean closing doors; we’re opening doors, exploring what’s behind the doors.”
Winslet went on to describe just why Mare of Easttown resonated so profoundly with audiences, saying, “At the end of the day, when the chips are down, it’s community and family and the sense of belonging, no matter where you come from, that means everything—especially at a time when we’ve experienced this seismic event in the pandemic. I think [the miniseries] has that sense of looking out for one another against all odds; it’s something that everyone can relate to. Brad Ingelsby wrote this middle-aged heroine; not many writers have written this before, and I felt so honored and excited when he asked me.”
Small towns are full of secrets. Here’s to hoping there’s more to discover down the road in Easttown. Also, all ears on if there’s a way to bring Evan Peters back to life.
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