Copenhagen Cowboy is the latest small-screen work from bizarre filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, following the 2019 miniseries Too Old To Die Young and several pretty high-profile feature films including Drive, Only God Forgives, and The Neon Demon. The show, which is now streaming on Netflix, is a macabre noir dreamscape about a young woman named Miu (Angela Bundalovic) who navigates the Danish underworld as a somewhat supernatural angel of vengeance.
Here’s a quote from our review to give you an idea:
The squealing of pigs mentioned above is a recurring idea here, the sows punctuating moments of sex and violence, blurring the depravity of human behavior with the natural exhortations of ravenous animals. Are we the pigs, lazily gobbling whatever we’re fed, or are we the people, ignoring the yelps of our captive foodstuffs until we’re ready to slaughter and eat them? Hard to tell. Either way, we’re in here somewhere, right alongside the possibly magical protagonist, the vicious gangsters, the delusional, cruel women trying to underpay for miracle conceptions, and the lost, paperless hostages, stripped of identity and respect. All of humanity is here, in one way or another, but it isn’t always easy to find, and you won’t always be thankful for the discovery when it turns up.
While Refn rarely deals in sequels and follow-ups (outside of the Pusher trilogy that made his name outside of his native Denmark), there is plenty of scope for a continuation here, and fans are rightly wondering about the likelihood of a second season. Here’s everything we know.
Will there be a Copenhagen Cowboy Season 2?
Renewal status: TBC
At the time of writing Netflix have not officially renewed or canceled Copenhagen Cowboy. As ever, they’ll be waiting to get a sense of important metrics like watch hours, especially over the first couple of weeks.
As with all of Refn’s work, this is a deliberately surreal show that will absolutely divide audiences, and while some will take to its obvious artistry, others will find it confounding and frustrating. It’s very unlikely to do huge numbers for the streaming giant, which would suggest that the chances of a second season are unlikely.
However, Netflix must have known what they were getting into, and there’s a chance that they value the artistic output of an auteur like Refn more than the sheer numbers of an uber-successful but more mainstream show. The first season ends by expanding the scope of the plot by a considerable degree, so there’s definitely artistic justification for renewal, and as Refn expressed to Cineuropa.org: “We’ve written a treatment, so let’s see. I wouldn’t mind one bit.”
We’ll keep this article updated with more information as we get it.
This show is so compelling, I couldn’t stop binge watching. You can never predict what will happen next. That’s good. Its air of magical realism reminds me of Twin Peaks. I know I will go back and watch parts again. It’s that good. The lead actress is out of this world good from her first appearance through every scene. She’s perfect for this role.