Netflix has renewed its young-adult drama My Life with the Walter Boys for Season 2. The show stars Nikki Rodriguez in the TV adaptation of the popular novel of the same name by Ali Novak which was originally posted on the online platform Wattpad, and plans for the second season look to expand beyond that source material.
In a statement to TUDUM, showrunner Melanie Halsall said:
“I am beyond thrilled that My Life with the Walter Boys has been renewed for a second season. We have been overwhelmed by the love and support that the audience has given the show and can’t wait to dive back into the world of Silver Falls and the lives of these characters.”
Given the cliffhanger ending, many fans are wondering where the story might go from here.
Here’s everything we know.
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Has My Life with the Walter Boys been renewed for Season 2 by Netflix?
Official Renewal Status: Renewed
Netflix has renewed My Life with the Walter Boys for Season 2. The news comes after the show was a runaway hit with audiences. For the second week since its release, the show remains at the top of the English-language TV section of Netflix Top 10, having accumulated a mind-boggling 12.8 million watch hours.
Melanie Halsall discussed the response with Deadline:
“It’s been incredible. Phenomenal, actually. I think the audience response has just been so overwhelming and enthusiastic and positive. We couldn’t have hoped for better audience reaction really.”
The show has also been making tremendous waves on social media, especially TikTok, where the title hashtag have amassed over 800 million views.
@netflix Part 2 | #mylifewiththewalterboys is now streaming on #netflix ? original sound – Netflix
Is there a second book of My Life with the Walter Boys?
Previously Ali Novak has written sequels, and that offers us some hope that there could one day be a follow-up to My Life with the Walter Boys, but at the time of writing, there is no second book.
Answering a question about a sequel on her website, Novak says,
“In the past, I’ve said there won’t be a published sequel. However, this might change if a “Walter Boys” TV show happens. I can’t make any promises at the moment, but keep your eyes peeled for exciting news by following me on Twitter and Instagram.”
The original book was written back in 2014, and there has been no sequel as yet, which does suggest Novak may not have further plans for Jackie, but just like her post suggested, if the show does well, it may encourage her to write more.
In the same interview with Deadline, Halsall hinted at the writing team for Season 2 having an opportunity to “spread their wings” by not following a blueprint laid out by a pre-existing story. On plans for Season 2 and beyond she said:
“I was always thinking that could be a long-running, returning series. That’s one of the reasons I love the book so much…as well as that core love triangle that we saw, which is so rich and fantastic and wonderful, we’ve also got a town full and school full of fantastic ensemble characters that I think have incredibly rich storytelling opportunities.”
How have critics and audiences responded to My Life with the Walter Boys?
It seems that the series has received some middling reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it “flimsy” and claiming the show “aims for nothing more or less than to deliver cozy familiarity, and on a superficial level”. CNN Entertainment feels the show “follows a blueprint that’s comfortable in its predictability,” while Variety feels the series was “disappointing”.
Right here on Ready Steady Cut we only scored the first season two out of five stars, saying:
In a way, though, this is a critic-proof show. It doesn’t aspire to be anything other than a comforting retread of familiar ground, and it manages to be that if nothing else. But it also fundamentally misunderstands the appeal of soft fantasy television that is all about delivering predictably happy endings – you have to care enough about the characters that you feel they deserve it.
Nevertheless, fans have taken to the show enormously and, as above, have kept it at the top of Netflix’s Top 10 since its debut.
