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Picture: Netflix
One of Netflix UK’s biggest swings in its history just released over the summer: a modern retelling of Greek mythology with Jeff Goldblum at the helm. Has Netflix renewed or canceled KAOS for a season 2 yet? How well is the show performing in week 2, and what can we expect from future entries?
Netflix has been rather crafty with how it names the first seasons of shows lately, leaving out any identifying season number. But make no mistake: KAOS is made to be a multi-season show, especially given how episode 8 goes through a lot of trouble to set up future installments. You’ve undoubtedly come to the same conclusion if you’ve watched to the end.
Picture: Netflix
KAOS Season 2 Renewal Status & Prediction
Expecting Cancellation
As of September 11th, Netflix has yet to officially renew or cancel the show. Sadly, we’re predicting a likely cancellation given the early performance in the top 10s, which is far below what we’d expect from a show of this size and cost.
The creator has also commented on wanting to do more seasons in the future. Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Charlie Covell said, “I think anything is possible,” adding, “My dream was three seasons. I’ve got many ideas and a strong sense of what I’d want to do with it.”
Covell seemingly acknowledged that should a renewal not come to pass, the series is at least watchable in its own right. “I also didn’t want to do an ending that was a total cliffhanger. I hope that it feels satisfying as a season one in its own right, and there’s always hope for more. I really would love to do more work with those actors and that team. It was a bit of a dream come true.”
How well is Kaos performing so far?
As with all renewals, viewership ultimately matters and is the number 1 deciding factor, and no amount of marketing can get people through the door or make them stick to the end. Ultimately, it’s how we’ve managed to predict some of the major cancelations in the past, and as our prediction suggests, early numbers aren’t looking particularly good.
Let’s begin with the official global weekly top 10s, in which KAOS debuted fourth after four days of streaming on Netflix. 22.80 million hours were watched globally, equating to 3.4 million views. When we compare this to the four-day premieres of several other English-language shows, we can see KAOS lagging behind and sitting towards the bottom of the table.
In week 2, the show rose to the third spot (behind The Perfect Couple and Worst Ex Ever) with 39.20 million hours watched, equating to a further 5.9M views.
Let’s stack the show’s performance in week 2 against other Netflix Original debuts throughout 2024 that premiered on a Thursday. Sadly, we can see it’s still lagging in the charts against some of the biggest budgets.
Let’s compare the week-to-week evolution of a few shows that have been renewed (Supacell, The Gentlemen, My Life with the Walter Boys) vs. a few that have been canceled (Dead Boy Detectives, Obliterated). We can see that KAOS is lagging behind, at least so far.
As we’re in week 3, we can look to FlixPatrol to see how the show is performing in the daily top 10s in over 80 countries worldwide. We can see from the heatmap the show continues to perform well across Europe particularly. Another bright sign is that the show isn’t decaying that quickly in the top 10s suggesting that people are sticking with it. We’ll see how this evolves in future weeks.
Heatmap of popularity for KAOS and daily top 10 chart
What to Expect From Kaos Season 2 If Renewed
Season 1, episode 8 ends with multiple pieces on the chess board being re-arranged against Zeus, and KAOS is indeed coming. He seems powerless by the end, with his vision of him being able to bleed coming true and the water feature symbolizing his power has collapsed.
Let’s recap where some of those chess pieces lie: Prometheus is no longer controlled by Zeus and instead sits on the throne in Olympus. Riddy, now rescued and back on Earth after spending much of this season in the Underworld, just met Cassandra, who informed her she’s now a prophet and must go to Ari and “set the living free.”
Back in the Underworld, Caeneus has a similar task: setting the dead free. He is granted the power to renew souls, much to Hades’s surprise.
Having fulfilled her father’s prophecy, Ari is now in charge of Krete. She tells her mother that she will not rule for the Gods. Rather, she makes an agreement with the Trojans to rebuild Troy and destroy Olympus. The season ends with Dionysus standing outside the palace and Hera using the phone to call to command to gather the troops and make up the spare bed.
Picture: Netflix
As for where we head next, that’s really only for Atropos, Lachesis, and Clotho to know. However, we’ll likely see further moves against Zeus as Olympus looks increasingly unstable. Weakened by Zeus himself, Hades will almost certainly be losing control of the Underworld. As he suggested earlier in the season, everything collapses if that happens.
Do you want to see KAOS return for a second season? Let us know in the comments below.
