Hulu’s terrific hit mini-series “The Dropout” from showrunner/writer/creator Elizabeth Meriwether (“New Girl”), starring Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”), is easily one of our favorite shows of the year thus far. The mini-series was terrific (read our review here), and Seyfried’s performance is outstanding, and surely Emmy bound. The mini-series covers the unbelievable true story of Elizabeth Holmes, the infamous health care revolutionary/silicon valley “visionary” that was behind the rise and fall of Theranos. Theranos raised billions of dollars for a venture that would promise huge advancements in medical testing technology and never delivered. The very public scandal led to Holmes being charged with eleven counts of fraud after claims that investors were swindled by a professional con artist that knowingly knew that the tech didn’t work, leading to the collapse of Theranos. Holmes is due for sentencing soon, harsh bail terms have been applied, and she faces up to 20 years in jail.
While it may seem an unlikely decision, during a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Seyfried said she’d love to reprise the Holmes role in a second season of “The Dropout.” While Holmes’ story seemingly ends at the end of the series, her ultimate downfall really, the scammer has since gotten married, had a child, and is, of course, still awaiting sentencing for her crimes. Seyfried believes there is just so much more material to explore, and it doesn’t hurt that she believes it’s one of the best roles she’s ever had.
“It just seemed like this was the best opportunity I’d ever been given, to play such an enigmatic role,” Seyfried said of her hit Hulu series “The Dropout.”
The actress recognizes that the Holmes role is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase her skills, “Because when am I going to get the opportunity to play somebody that I felt like I could really nail? It would be another thrill of my life if I got to continue it a little bit.”
Adding to the call for another season, Holmes was recently convicted in January on multiple fraud charges, four out of the eleven, and will be sentenced in September. All of this could be explored in a second season, and Seyfried certainly sounds more than game to try.
In our recent interview with Meriweather, the showrunner told us she’s working on a new mini-series at the moment, so if there was a ‘Dropout’ part two, it certainly couldn’t come right away. But who knows, the Emmys are in the fall, as we’ve seen by hit mini-series like “Mare Of Easttown” or “Big Little Lies,” what is initially intended as a mini-series can soon turn into a series if the awards match the already-sky-high ratings and popularity. Stay tuned.