If the decision-making process behind which Netflix originals get renewed was the number of people to have watched the series in question, then Theo James would already be preparing to make his return as Eddie Horniman in a second season of The Gentlemen.
After all, the small screen extension of the world first introduced in Guy Ritchie’s 2019 crime caper of the same name has been one of the most consistently popular shows on the streaming service for well over a month after premiering on March 7th, spending several weeks as the single most-watched episodic offering on the entire platform.
By that metric, then, a second run would appear to be a guarantee. However, there are plenty of mitigating factors to take under consideration, one of which is the exceedingly busy schedules of the key cast and crew members. The Gentlemen wasn’t pitched to any of the stars as an ironclad multi-season undertaking, and as a result, the pieces need to fall into place in the right way at the right time for Netflix to pull the trigger.
James echoed those sentiments in conversation with Deadline, confirming that “it wasn’t genuinely discussed” whether or not The Gentlemen could live beyond its first eight episodes when he initially signed on. Not only that, be he admitted there are plenty of difficulties in trying to wrangle so many actors, writers, directors, and crew members who’ve all booked themselves up for the immediate future.
“I think it would be a wrangling process with all of us and Guy,” he said. “But also, I think with a show like this, if you’re going to do more, you need to come up with a really interesting conceit for season 2. Because as much as we enjoyed it and as fun as it was, it needs narrative drive.”
The way the eighth and final episode ended, it managed to both bring the story full circle while leading the door ajar for continued adventures in the world of drug running. There wasn’t a cliffhanger in the traditional sense, but it was clear the creative team were intentionally leaving things open-ended in case season 2 became a high priority for Netflix and creator Ritchie.
James acknowledged “there needs to be discussions, as it were” before he agrees to return, and having only presumably committed to one season, The Gentlemen‘s success could lead to a nice little pay rise should it end up happening.
