“Irresponsible”: Arcane showrunner explains why the Netflix show had to end
Christian Linke, co-creator and showrunner of the animated steampunk action-adventure series Arcane, has explained why ending the popular series after season two was the right decision.
Arcane season two continues the series in the world of Piltover and Zaun, picking up at the end of season one when sisters Vi and Jinx found themselves sitting at opposing sides of the conflict as the two cities fall into even deeper pits of unrest.
Featuring Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, and Kevin Alejandro, other details about season two have been meticulously kept under wraps, leading to much fan speculation about where any new characters will lead the storyline.
However, discussing the decision to end the show with just two short and sweet seasons, Linke explained they followed a “specific story” and he had a “responsibility” not to allow the show to run too long that it lost its quality.
Discussing the show with CinemaBlend, he said: “We always had a specific story in mind. Look, you could have stretched it, I’m sure. But for us, it was always just like we started with this in mind. I think there’s also a personal angle to it as creatives.”
Continuing, “We’ve all seen the TV shows, where clearly the writers are running out of juice. How inspired can you stay about the same thing, for how long? It’s been nine years for us, with these characters. I think there’s a responsibility aspect to this, also, where we’re like, this is what we had in mind.”
He concluded by explaining that stretching the show out would have been “irresponsible” because they wouldn’t have been able to do the story “justice” and didn’t want to “overdo it.”
While many fans are undoubtedly disappointed with the sudden ending, the quality of Arcane will certainly prevail over its quantity, especially considering the glowing reactions of almost all of the early reviews, which praise everything from the show’s storytelling to its ability to consistently captivate.
The first three episodes of Arcane are scheduled to be released on the platform on November 9th, with the next three landing on November 16th, and the final three episodes on November 23rd.