Jessica Jones was one of the best things to happen in 2015, but 2016 is not looking up because there is little to no news about the future of this Marvel series. Why don't we know yet whether or not Jessica Jones Season 2 is happening? Netflix has not announced either way, and we're all getting antsy.
Update: On Jan. 17, Netflix announced that Jessica Jones was renewed for a second season.
When Daredevil premiered early last year, the second season was announced less than two weeks later. I know that Netflix is like, a cool network not like a regular network, but still. It can't keep us hanging like this. My very non-scientific, word of mouth data from friends and Internet buzz suggests that this show was much more popular and acclaimed than Daredevil, so it's curious.
Were it not for the fact that Daredevil was renewed so quickly, I would wonder if Marvel is treating these Netflix series the same way they treat films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (with an intense amount of pre-planning) and did not anticipate that Jessica Jones fans would demand more. That would be a big hiccough indeed, because while movie sequels come out several years after their predecessors, giving studios a little wiggle room if they want to adjust a franchise, television seasons are expected once a year. Maybe everything was mapped out months ago and there is no time. That said, while I personally want a Jessica Jones Season 2 as much as anybody, I think it would be really cool if Netflix and Marvel waited more than a year or two to produce more episodes. That rarely happens in television (BBC's Sherlock and the HBO series Big Love both come to mind) and would be another way for Netflix to continue to experiment with and change the medium.
Clearly, this isn't the last that we'll see of Jessica Jones on Netflix, even if there isn't a Season 2. We know that she will appear in the eventual meet-up series The Defenders, and could easily show up on Luke Cage or Iron Fist. Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg mentioned in an interview with CinemaBlend that The Defenders already has a filming timeline that they would have to work around were Jessica Jones to get renewed.
Truly, and I'm gonna get a little meta here, one of the potential problems is that Jessica Jones is a character that doesn't want a television show about her. She would much rather not be a hero, out of the spotlight, left alone. The only thing extreme enough to spring her into action was Kilgrave. How could you replicate that? Would you even want to?
The answer is yes, obviously, but I can see why there would be some hesitation from a storytelling perspective. Even Krysten Ritter, in talking about The Defenders in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, said "I have no idea how [Jessica's] going to be forced to team up with all of them." When asked about a possibility of a Season 2 before that happens in that same interview, she said "it's such a tricky thing. I'm not supposed to talk about that. But I think there is lots of story left to tell with Jessica and I really love playing the character. I would love to throw on her boots and leather jacket anytime."
That gives me some hope. No news, and especially no news when framed in such a cagey and noncommittal way, is good news. However, here's to hoping that Netflix and Marvel give us a definitive answer (preferable a "yes" one) about Jessica Jones at some point. Even a delayed, cinematic Season 2 would be an excellent way to honor the character and continue hers story.
Images: Myles Aronowitz/Netflix; Giphy
