In the 1860s, Charles Dickens released a weekly chapter series called Great Expectations. Later the next year, Dicken turned the stories into a novel that was published in 1961.
The books inspired the new series on FX on Hulu, which was created and written by Steven Knight. The story follows an Orphan, Pip, who is on the verge of collecting plenty of money from an unknown benefactor.
We all follow Pip’s (Fionn Whitehead) attempt to fit into the higher end of society in London, from his battles with Miss Havisham (Olivia Colman) in hopes of marrying the woman he loves, Estella.
Or the obstacles placed in front of him by Jaggers, Compeyson, and Drummle, we see Pip forced to make several life-changing decisions.
Upon watching Great Expectations, you can’t help but appreciate so many levels of the series. From the costumes and production to the score to the performances to the brilliant script.
Writer Steven Knight draws you into this world quickly, making you invest from episode one. While I give them plenty of credit for making the show only six episodes and not dragging it out, I think they could’ve made the series less all over the place.
There felt like one too many stories were happening that, when it was all brought together in the finale, it was slightly rushed.
Will there be a Season 2 of Great Expectations – renewed or canceled status
At the time of writing, Great Expectations has not been officially renewed or canceled. The reception has not been great by critics. The series sits at a Rotten 41% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (as of April 19th, 2023). To make matters worse for the series, it sits at 30% with its audience score. Obviously, this doesn’t bode well for a second season.
As for where the story could go if we would get a Season 2? We know the series was based on the books by Charles Dickens. With that, there are no follow-up books by Dickens about Great Expectations, so if they were to explore more of this story, they would have to do so with Steven Knight and the writing team to create a new story adding to the original.
Another thing in the show’s favor is having Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman attached to the cast. If she was to do another season, I am sure that would help their cause.
We could explore Pip’s life back home, marriage, and kids and even introduce new people that provide problems for him and his family.
Most of these would seem forced without a true story behind them, but it’s something they could tackle if we see another season.
Our prediction is that Great Expectations will not be renewed for a second season. If anything changes about the show’s status, we will be sure to update you when something is announced.
