- All seven episodes of Hollywood drop on Netflix on Friday, May 1.
- Created by Ryan Murphy, the star-studded series imagines an alternate version of postwar Hollywood.
- Hoping for another season of Hollywood? Here's what we know.
Warning: This post contains mild spoilers for the ending of Hollywood.
Prepare to feel a cavernous sadness when Hollywood, a new miniseries on Netflix, is over. Inevitably, you'll find yourself asking: When can I return to the the show's warm, optimistic universe? Will there be a second season of Hollywood?
There's reason to hope for more Hollywood. On a recent Instagram post, creator Ryan Murphy answered a fan's question about a second season with a promising response: "Well, Hollywood was planned as a limited series, but it's become so popular that everyone is asking for another season. So who knows? I sure do love this cast though," Murphy wrote.
The optimistic limited series is set in an alternate version of postwar Hollywood. The show imagines what might have happened if studio power-brokers had made room for marginalized people in their films. If, say, a Black actress could have starred in a movie as a heroine, or if gay men could have lived openly, onscreen and off.
Unfortunately, as of now, it seems likely that Hollywood will end after a mere seven episodes. Ahead, every single detail we know so far about season 2 of Hollywood, and why it might not happen.
Hollywood was designed to be a miniseries from the get-go.
After years of creating long-running network shows like American Horror Story and Glee, Ryan Murphy is now embracing the miniseries. "I just think it's better. I think that it's a more concentrated, powerful form of storytelling," Murphy tells OprahMag.com.
Murphy compares making Hollywood—which was written with a beginning, middle, and end in mind—with the conventional network TV shows of his past. "I grew up in a system where you had to do 22 episodes of something for five or six years for it to be considered a success. I always thought that was crazy and almost like a prison sentence. So I'm glad that I don't have to do that anymore," Murphy says.
For Murphy, the inherent appeal of a miniseries is that he can walk away at the end—which leads us to believe he'll be focusing on his next project, instead of continuing Hollywood.
Under his lucrative deal with Netflix, Murphy already has a slate of shows and movies lined up. A few upcoming projects? Ratched, a series that explores the iconic (and terrifying) Nurse Ratched of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Prom, a Broadway musical adaptation starring Meryl Streep.
Hollywood's cast only signed on for seven episodes.
One of Hollywood's defining features is its astounding cast. Murphy assembled industry icons, like Patti LuPone and Holland Taylor, alongside rising talent, such as Laura Harrier and Jeremy Pope. Further, he reunited with actors from his previous shows, including Darren Criss.
The creator says Hollywood was only possible because it was capped at seven episodes. Otherwise, its star-studded cast may not have signed on.
"You can get actors who are willing to do seven episodes, but it's very hard to get somebody like a Patti LuPone or a Joe Mantello or even a Darren Criss now to do seven years [of a TV show]," Murphy says.
Hollywood gives everyone a happy ending—including its real-life figures.
By the end of Hollywood, the show's pioneering characters enacted major structural changes in the industry, which in turn led to societal shifts. Victory!
The show concludes by hinting at what's next for these lovable people. In the final scene, Rock Hudson (Jake Picking) stars in a romance about a gay man. Adding one final layer of complexity onto Hollywood (which is about the making of a movie that is also about the making of a movie), Rock's latest venture is based on his own life with Archie (Jeremy Pope).
Hollywood's final scene also rewrites Rock Hudson's story. The real Hudson remained closeted and passed away in 1985 from complications of AIDS—but in Hollywood, he's free to be himself.
With Hollywood, Murphy hoped to pay homage to real figures from the era, like Hudson, Anna May Wong, and doomed starlet Peg Entwistle. "Ryan said, 'What if we're able to give able some of our favorite iconic stars who had bittersweet tragic endings the end that they deserved?" Janet Mock, who wrote and directed the series alongside Murphy, recalls.
On Hollywood's final day of filming, Murphy was confident he had fulfilled his goal. "I really did feel their presence when we gave them the happy ending, because the actors and the crew were very weepy and tearful and were very moved that these people finally got some sense of justice. So I did have a feeling of, I think they would be happy with this," Murphy says.
The creators hope Hollywood makes an impact.
Hollywood is a short-but-sweet show with a message: Entertainment can change the world. By having representation on-screen, Hollywood argues, people off-screen will feel empowered. "I believe in the idea of, if you see it, you can become it," Murphy says.
Darren Criss, who has starred in several of Murphy's other shows, including Glee, and the Assassination of Gianni Versace, was drawn to Hollywood for its underlying philosophy. "In every show he's ever done, Ryan has always looked out for the underdog, whether it's done in a playful or scary and harsh way. He's always been an advocate personally, and in his narratives in film and TV, an advocate for people who have been historically marginalized," Criss says.
"You ingest it all because it's a fun, accessible romp. But there's a bait and switch. In the allure of all that fun stuff, he's serving up important stuff," Criss adds.
There's reason to hope for more Hollywood.
Does Hollywood wrap up all of its storylines? Indeed—all of the main characters end up with success, and most of them end up in love. Even the villains get a semi-redemptive arc. And, just to complete the circle, the gas station where it all began shuts down.
But there's still reason to hope that the show could be renewed. After all, other miniseries have been renewed for future seasons, following massive success—lookin' at you, Big Little Lies.
Should Hollywood catch on, we're hopeful that the miniseries could return. After all, the series is about possibilities—and Murphy, per his comment on an Instagram post, hasn't ruled them out: "It's become so popular that everyone is asking for another season. So who knows?"
Fans definitely want more Hollywood.
In case Netflix or Murphy is wondering, the fans are talking—and they want more Hollywood.
Let's see if the show goes on.
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Elena Nicolaou
Elena Nicolaou is the former culture editor at Oprah Daily.
