Since season one of the Australian comedy-drama, Wellmania debuted on Netflix last week (March 29th), it has already shot up the ranks of the streaming service’s top ten list.
The show, created by Benjamin Law and Brigid Delaney, is based on the latter’s novel, Wellmania: Misadventures in the Search for Wellness. Celeste Barber stars as Liv Healy, a drug-taking, alcohol-loving food writer who collapses during a hometown visit. In order to return to New York, she must prove herself as medically fit, leading to an intense detox that echoes the craziness of Gwyneth Palrow‘s Goop business.
Wellmania satirises the wellness industry with a mix of humour and seriousness, which has gone down well with audiences. Due to its current success, it is likely that another series will be renewed shortly, although there has been no announcement as of yet.
If a second series goes ahead, we will hopefully see the return of the protagonist Liv. Talking to the Guardian, Barber explained, “I read the book and I was like, ‘This is a brilliant idea’. I love Brigid’s writing: she’s very clever, very personable – and funny! Really funny – so I was on board from the beginning.”
There are plenty of avenues for season two to explore now that Liv has returned to New York, leaving behind fraught family tensions. Even worse, the series ends with Liv’s mother getting run over, with her friends desperately trying to call her. Yet the protagonist is too busy filming her cooking show to pick up. Therefore, based on the cliffhanger ending of season one, a second series is likely on the cards.
