Here's Why Fans Shouldn't Hold Out Hope For A 'Dare Me' Season 2

When Dare Me landed on the USA Network at the end of 2019, it seemed like one of their stereotypical scripted series that would run for years, not unlike Suits or Burn Notice. Then, the series got an unexpected bump in 2020 when Netflix scooped up the streaming rights for Season 1, turning this drama of competitive high school cheerleaders into a TV series competitive for fans' hearts. So, will there be a Dare Me Season 2? Unfortunately, the hoped-for Netflix bump has come too late, as USA already decided a Season 2 wasn't in the cards.

Based on the 2012 mystery novel by Megan Abbott, Dare Me was initially put into production back in January 2019; it premiered on USA at the end of that same year. The series starred Willa Fitzgerald as Coach Colette French, with Herizen Guardiola as cheerleader Addy and Marlo Kelly as Beth, the captain of the cheer squad and Addy's emotionally abusive BFF. The first season loosely followed the book's plot, with Coach French favoring Addy and demoting Beth, setting up a terrifying rivalry.

The season ended on a heck of a cliffhanger, too. Like the novel, Dare Me turned into a murder mystery, in which military recruiter Will "Sarge" Mosley (Zach Roerig) turned up dead from a gunshot wound, and no one would admit what happened. The finale ended with hints that Colette and her husband Matt were on the crime scene and could be at least partly responsible. But what exactly Couch French was hiding remained unclear.

The series was a co-production between USA and Netflix, which meant that after the first season ended its run on cable, all 10 episodes were put on the streamer, which is where many viewers discovered it. It also meant the show is a Netflix exclusive everywhere overseas. Unfortunately, the ratings on USA weren't great; even with the Season 1 finale cliffhanger, the series was canceled.

There is a small glimmer of hope, though. In April 2020, TVLine reported Netflix wasn't ready to give up on the series, saying if USA wasn't interested, the streamer could find a new co-producer to keep it going. So far, there's been no news of any takers. That doesn't mean Netflix might not decide to pick it up as a Netflix Original, should the series continue its rise in the streaming rankings. But as of now, fans may never know who killed Sarge.