Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Jennifer Flackett, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, and Nick Kroll, Netflix’s ‘Mating Season’ is an animated dark comedy series that steps into the forest and chronicles the lives of four eccentric friends. Season 1 ends with Josh, Ray, Fawn, and Penelope all coming to their own conclusions regarding how love stories must begin and end. While Fawn rejects Dylan for good and reveals his true face in front of the entire animal kingdom, Ray confronts his insecurities and emerges a better raccoon. Josh, too, gives up on his lookout for a partner and decides to hibernate in the company of his friends. For Penelope, however, the show ends with a tricky lover’s dilemma between Jojo and Summer, which leaves ample questions for a potential sequel to take on. While Netflix has not greenlit any continuation as of writing, in the best-case scenario, fans can expect a second season to release sometime around 2027.
Season 2 of Mating Season Will Likely Resolve Penelope’s Love Triangle Dilemma
As ‘Mating Season’ ends with a cliffhanger, a potential season 2 will most likely pick up with Penelope being forced to choose between Jojo and Summer. Though both characters have a strong chemistry as well as a past with Penelope, the decision ultimately rests on how she feels about them. Summer’s inability to run away with Penelope all that time ago cannot exactly be called her fault, as things were indeed moving too fast for her to even process. However, for the hound to still come back, assuming that she can just resume their relationship, reflects that there are bigger problems ahead. Conversely, Penelope knows too little about Jojo to truly experience the highs and lows of a relationship, which might also mean that her attachment isn’t that strong either.
The Mycelium Revolution is another subplot introduced early into the story, but we never quite hear from the residents of the underground ever again. While Penelope’s friends brush off the Myceliums’ words as mere fancy, there’s a good chance that the mushrooms and other fungi are secretly conspiring to cause an actual revolution, using their sophisticated underground networks to take over the forest vegetation and possibly destroy the food chain. It also doesn’t help that the Mycelium fibers seem to have the ability to hear everything in their vicinity, which means that the lives of every character are being mapped, and so are their weaknesses. As it stands, Penelope and her love for the Mycelium might be the animal kingdom’s only shot at surviving the revolution, if it at all arrives.
Season 2 of Mating Season Might Bring Some Supporting Characters to the Forefront
If ‘Mating Season’ is greenlit for a second season, fans can expect most of the cast to reprise their roles, which means the return of actor Nick Kroll as the protagonist Josh. Alongside Kroll, actor June Diane Raphael is also likely to step back into the shoes of Fawn, the lovable dear who seems determined to carry on her journey of self-affirmation. Zach Woods is also expected to return as Ray, Josh’s mischievous and effortlessly charming best friend, and is likely to have a more prominent role going forward. Actor Sabrina Jalees is also expected to become a central figure in the potential next arc of the story, as everything depends on the decisions she is about to make.
Given the ambiguous conclusion of the first season, a potential sequel is likely to see actor Abbi Jacobson, who plays Summer, in a more prominent role. At the same time, fans can also expect Jojo to make a reappearance, but it remains uncertain whether she will stick around for a longer portion of the story. Additionally, there is a slim chance of actor Toks Olagundoye returning for a cameo appearance in the form of Claudia AKA Colony Sugar, though it should be noted that the character’s arc mostly wraps up in the first season. Additionally, fans can expect Drew Tarver to return as everyone’s favorite Zeke, with actor Pamela Adlon also making a potential return as Ray’s mother.
Season 2 of Mating Season Can Expand on Ray’s Character Arc
Though ‘Mating Season’ largely centers around the characters’ desperate and often hopeless attempts at finding a mating partner, by the end, it becomes clear that their methods do not work. As such, the next season has an even bigger challenge in its hands: advancing the story beyond its commentary on friendship. Given how Josh, Ray, Fawn, and Penelope are now greatly appreciative of each other, the story can further experiment with these interpersonal dynamics in all their shapes and forms. This holds particularly true when it comes to discussing the subject of jealousy in this friend group, as Josh and Ray are closer friends than, for instance, Ray and Fawn. We already know that Fawn uses Ray as her gauge for when to be in a relationship, which means there is ample room to expand on their dynamic.
Additionally, the show can also dig deeper into Ray’s personal life, which so far has been purposefully obscured to keep him a mysterious figure. However, his brief relationship with Addy puts a crack in that armor, and a potential sequel can explore more of his emotional vulnerabilities. At the same time, a potential second season can also examine Josh more critically, as there are certain parts of his lifestyle that actively hold him back from self-actualization. One element in that arc can be the return of Claudia, who returns to the life of horse racing after briefly tasting paradise in the jungle. Josh’s time with Claudia is perhaps the only instance of him not just being happy and honest, but also trying to improve for the sake of someone else. The story, then, can take this as its baseline and chart a new arc for Josh, who is all set to rewrite his life after the hibernation period is over.
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