“The OA” is a series that is hard to describe to people who haven’t seen it. If you say what the show is literally about, it seems almost mundane. On the most basic level, the series follows a young blind woman named Prairie that disappears. After being gone for seven years, Prairie suddenly reappears and can now see. But honestly, that’s just the most basic description of the show. There are tons of sci-fi elements, a big spiritual mystery, there’s a supporting cast of misfits, and yes, interpretive dance.
Needless to say, “The OA” is not your typical TV series. And because of this, it’s taken an unusual amount of time for Season 2 to premiere on Netflix. To help assuage any worries that fans might have that there’s something preventing the upcoming season from being released on time, actor/writer/creator Brit Marling took to Instagram to help explain.
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First, she wanted just a quick update to tell fans that Season 2 is still being worked on, saying, “short answer: [co-creator/co-writer Zal Batmanglij] and I just finished soundmixing chapter 2 so it is coming!”
She followed that message with a much more in-depth answer that not only updates fans on what is really causing the delay but also illuminates the modern problems facing series like “The OA.” You see, Netflix has created a new paradigm for how TV shows are consumed and distributed. And due to logistical reasons, “The OA” is actually a special case even for Netflix.
We won’t go into all the gritty details (it’s actually very interesting to read), but the short version of the “long answer” is that because of the storyline[s] in Season 2, and due to the fact that the star of the show is actually one of the writers, Marling and Batmanglij had to write and pre-produce the entire season before filming. It’s much similar to how films are made, and less like how TV is made. And since they’re producing 8 hours of content, versus the 2 hours per film, it takes a lot longer.
Nevertheless, those who enjoyed “The OA” and are anxious for its return will have to wait a little longer, but it’s still coming. However, as Netflix is wont to do, don’t expect a release date announcement until we’re much closer to the actual debut.
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