While some might refer to the recent new batch of “The Get Down” episodes on Netflix as the show’s second season, that’s actually not the case: Netflix decided to get a jump on its production schedule by splitting the first season in half, causing fans to wonder if a third season was indeed in the works. “The Get Down” has always been a show that walked a fine line between style and substance — our own review of the second batch of episodes described it as “blustery razzle-dazzle” in search of a more authentic Harlem — but whatever the second season has in store, it probably will mean a diminished capacity for showrunner Baz Luhrmann. Whether that is to the show’s detriment or benefit depends on who might be watching.
In an interview with Vulture, Luhrmann admitted that he took on more than he anticipated with the first season of “The Get Down” and has very little interest in returning in an administrative role for any second season. According to Luhrmann, he and Netflix had worked to find a talented showrunner, but as the show inched closer to production, Luhrmann found himself taking on the responsibilities himself. “At some point, Sony asked would I come and get more involved at the center of it,” Luhrmann told Vulture. “And I did. I just did everything I could to keep it creatively moving forward and keep the standards up.”
READ MORE: ‘The Get Down’ Doubles Down On Its Cartoonish Sensationalism In Season 2 [Review]
That being said, Luhrmann does have someone in mind for whatever Netflix does next:
I won’t say who it was, but there is an African-American director who is absolutely the best of the best for this, and always was. I tried to get him involved and I couldn’t. I don’t want to be tease-y, but we’re all trying to hope to make that work out. That’s what we’re hoping. As Cindy Holland of Netflix said to me, “We are not in the habit of creating awesome characters and then throwing them away.” I thought that was a great quote.
Luhrmann does note that both Sony and Netflix have developed the beginning of a second season, making it clear that “The Get Down” will probably happen with or without his direct involvement. He also does say he’d like to continue in more of an executive-producer-type role as well. “I can go back to being what I always was going to be,” Luhrmann explained, “which was kinda Uncle Baz. I would see cuts, and have a point of view, but be like an executive producer — a guy that was a well-wisher and a supporter and a giver of notes.” For the sake of all parties involved, here’s hoping Netflix finds the right person for the role.
