Here's What We Know So Far About 'The Wilds' Getting A Season 2
Amazon's latest run at a YA series, The Wilds, debuted on Dec. 11, and the series already has a dedicated following. Unlike a lot of YA dramas, this one isn't based on a previous novel or game, but rather, it sprung from the mind of writer-executive producer Sarah Streicher. Streicher is best known for her work on Netflix's Daredevil, which makes sense, since The Wilds sometimes feels as over-the-top dramatic as any superhero comic. But with viewers now hooked on the castaways' stories, fans need to know: Will The Wilds get a Season 2 on Amazon Prime Video? Hopefully, we won't have to wait long to find out.
Warning: Spoilers for The Wilds Season 1 follow. The concept behind The Wilds is a fascinating social experiment. A group of teenage girls from different backgrounds wind up stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. They are: Leah Rilke (Sarah Pidgeon), Fatin Jadmani (Sophia Ali), Martha Blackburn (Jenna Clause), Toni Shalifoe (Erana James), Shannon Berry (Dot Campbell), Shelby Goodkind (Mia Healey), Jeanette Dao (Chi Nguyen), and sisters Rachel (Reign Edwards) and Nora Reid (Helena Howard).
They left under the guise of going on a retreat in Hawaii focused on female empowerment. But instead, the group has to empower themselves to survive until they are rescued.
Such a setup sounds a bit like "The CW does Lost", but there's a twist: These girls aren't actually out there on their own. Unbeknownst to (most of) them, mastermind Gretchen Klein (Rachel Griffiths) set this all up as a social experiment to see how young women thrive in a world without the patriarchy. Nora is in on it with Gretchen, but the rest of the eight girls seemingly believe they are fighting for survival.
By the season finale (titled "Day 23"), despite Leah's suspicions that all is not what it seems, the girls have turned themselves into a mini-society. Despite their different backgrounds, the prejudices they grew up with, and their own conditioning by the patriarchy to see themselves as less worthy than they really are, they did not descend into Lord of the Flies barbarism. And, miracle of miracles, rescue has come. But as the episode draws to a close, fans learn the girls weren't the only ones subjected to this scenario. Not far away, there's a group of boys who lived through the same trial.
Speaking to Variety, showrunner Amy B. Harris says these boys, "the control group," are part of the "blueprint" the show has for a potential second season. According to Harris:
About half-way through [filming], Amazon beautifully asked us, 'What's the [hook] for next season?'
So, even though the show hasn't formally gotten a Season 2 renewal, it sounds like Amazon is interested. Hopefully, the streamer will be as wild about The Wilds as the fans are.
