It was exactly six years ago to the day, on 22 March, that Netflix aired the first episode of its most ambitious sci-fi show’s second season. A show so hyped, yet so underappreciated – or even misunderstood – that it ultimately got the axe.
I’m still sad that there’ll never be a third season of The OA . Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij’s show was incredibly creative, fiercely original, and at times downright bizarre. Its second season even netted 92% on Rotten Tomatoes – so certainly had the critical acclaim.
As I explore the sci-fi shows I’ve arrived late to watch – from Severance Silo 3 Body Problem The OA trailer, below, and tuning in if you missed the show upon its season one release back in 2019.
The OA is about a young lady, Prairie Johnson (played by Marlin), who returns home after a seven-year disappearance. But there’s a twist: miraculously she’s no longer blind. It’s in no way as simple as this, though, as Johnson, the self-proclaimed ‘The OA’, builds a five-strong team of locals, in cult-like fashion, to open a portal to another dimension – in the only way she can explain the events of what’s happened during her disappearance.
Any show that ventures into worlds of interdimensionality and time travel ought to leave at least a few questions. But The OA just got so much right . It felt like fresh, bold film-making – the kind of output that Netflix has shied away from of late, as one of the best streaming services opts instead for big-budget CGI sci-fi movies .
The above is just the tip of the iceberg, though, as the show is multi-faceted and pulls on various threads and themes. At times it’s like watching a more adult version of The Goonies . At other moments it’s like a sci-fi The Wicker Man . But it never feels incoherent, is always explorative, and with a strong focus on the key characters’ story, it really pulls you in.
Of course, it will forever leave unanswered questions, because Marling and Batmanglij had a five-strong season arc planned. Netflix wasn’t having any of that, though, pulling the plug. I can half see why: The OA most certainly won’t be a show for everyone (even now), given its sensitive subject matter.
In one sense, that there’ll never be a third season of The OA only makes it more impactful. I do think that, like with Apple TV+’s commission statement with Silo – that’s going through to season four, its finale – Netflix could benefit from being bolder. Sure, the streamer’s current big sci-fi play, 3 Body Problem , has been commissioned for another two seasons – if it’ll last those out, though, we’ll just have to see.
Netflix’s other already cult classic, Kaos , only served a single seasonThe OA ‘s disappearance all these years later – it’ll keep me forever wondering…
