Netflix renews disaster drama ‘La Palma’ for standalone sequel, ‘Florida’
Although shows conceived as limited series are usually self-contained stories with no room for continuation, Netflix has an extensive history of successful miniseries that evolve into multi-seasonal titles. This also stands true for the gripping disaster drama, La Palma, which was recently renewed for a standalone sequel, Florida.
The renewal comes two years after the Norwegian limited series premiered on Netflix, amassing 70.3million views in its first 91 days and becoming the eighth most popular non-English TV show.
Netflix announced La Palma’s standalone sequel with the working title Florida at the recently held Nordic Media Days conference in Bergen. According to Tudum, the disaster drama is expected to return in 2027.
The debut season of La Palma is inspired by the Cumbre Vieja tsunami hypothesis, loosely based on the 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption. It follows a Norwegian family’s descent into chaos while vacationing on the island of La Palma as researchers discover signs of an imminent volcanic eruption that could potentially trigger a full-fledged catastrophic tsunami, forcing them to confront inevitability in the rawest form.
The forthcoming standalone sequel series, Florida, picks up right after the volcanic eruption in La Palma – just hours later. The show turns the spotlight on to a Norwegian community in Florida that remains completely oblivious to the deadly tsunami that’s on its way. Similar to its predecessor, the follow-up season comprises four episodes.
The crew behind La Palma and The Quake has shouldered the responsibility of the second season, produced by Fantefilm, famous for its “Scandisaster” productions. Cecilie Mosli serves as a director with Lars Gudmestad writing the script.
“To be able to make Florida is a dream I have had for a long time, and I am very pleased that Netflix also believes in our project,” Gudmestad shared. “Our ambition is to create a spectacular disaster series with characters audiences can mirror themselves in and truly care about, and that’s why it’s so reassuring to have such a talented and experienced director like Cecilie with us on this journey.”
“People confronted with crises are the most fascinating starting point for drama,” Mosli continued. “With La Palma, Lars Gudmestad, Fantefilm, and Netflix demonstrated the power of combining large-scale disasters with intimate human stories, and I am very proud and happy to be part of the new project, Florida.”
Although updates on Florida are scarce at this point, with details such as returning cast, new faces, trailer, and release date shrouded in mystery, viewers are free to check back later for more information. Until then, La Palma, which boasts a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, is streaming on Netflix. So, if you haven’t already, tune into it now!