Will there be another season of The Stranger?
Season 2 of The Stranger on Netflix seems to be possible but unlikely. At a press screening of the show, Coben seemed to rule out returning for more. He said: “We don’t think it’s fair to have one of those shows where they don’t give you all the answers, and you have to wait until Season 2 before you get it. This is a closed story. You learned all the answers by the end, and the ending is tremendously satisfying.”
The thriller writer added: “Could some of the characters return to Season 2? Maybe, but that’s not our plan. I never say never, but it’s not our plan. Our plan is to give you one great, great season.”
Looking at the history of Harlan Coben adaptations for TV also does not give fans of the show much hope. Safe and The Five, the other collaborations between Coben and Red, the production company that made The Stranger, ran for only one season, suggesting that this new Netflix show will follow suit.
However, Coben did not fully rule out Season 2, and there is some evidence that Netflix has left the door open for more if he changes his mind. While other shows that were only intended to have one season, like Unbelievable and When They See Us are labelled as “Limited Series,” The Stranger is not labeled as such.
Although the ending of The Stranger does tie up the story of Adam Price (Richard Armitage) and his and his family’s secrets, it does set up a possible season that could focus on another community. At the end of the Netflix show, it is revealed that The Stranger is still on the run, meaning that Season 2 could see the police trying to hunt her down while she tries to unearth more secrets.
Though The Stranger Season 1 does use most of the plot from Coben’s novel, there are a few parts of the book that could provide inspiration for another season. The Stranger in the book reveals secrets across the United States, while the Netflix series’ version of the character is only seen working in a single community, which means that Season 2 could expand the geographical range of the show.
If there is another season (and if there is Netflix is likely to recommission after about six weeks), then we can expect a release date in January 2020, a year after the release of the first season.
The Stranger is streaming now on Netflix.
