Netflix has a problem. The streaming platform, which once almost completely dominated the market, has been feeling the pressure when it comes to creating original content. Recently, fans were shocked to hear the streaming giant won’t be bringing back some of its most beloved originals, including David Fincher’s Mindhunter. It appears that Netflix won’t think twice when it comes to axing great shows: if it happened to series like The OA, anyone (except Stranger Things) could be next. That said, the idea of a revival of The OA isn’t off the table, at least according to Jason Isaacs.
It’s been six years since The OA’s cancellation, and the wound still hurts for many fans who were left dumbfounded by Season 2’s shocking cliffhanger. To make things worse, series creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij had intended the show to last five seasons, leaving many questions unanswered and millions waiting for closure. Among those millions is The OA’s own Jason Isaacs, who played the vicious Dr. Hunter Aloysius Percy in the Netflix series.
Isaacs, an actor whose filmography includes some of the most memorable villains in film history, expressed his appreciation for The OA in a recent interview with Decider. “I’m going to start weeping. I love that show so much,” were the first words that sprang out once the interviewer commented on the show’s cultural impact. “Zal came and stayed with me in England recently. We talked about it a lot and we sometimes talk, all three of us, me, Zal and Britt. We want to finish it and it’s not like there aren’t millions of people in the world who’d like to see it finished and including executives at various different streaming companies. So it ain’t over till the large lady sings.”
When asked about what the fans’ support for a revival of Netflix’s The OA means to him, Isaacs responded: “Oh, it’s everything. People are so moved by it. They come up, they don’t want to say, it’s not like other television programs where they go, I liked that show. It affected people profoundly. It inspired them. It gave them hope. It made them feel more human. It connected to things that are often deep buried inside people.”
The OA’s resounding success and eventual cancellation are still something that baffles everyone who’s seen the show. As Isaacs explains it, “Sometimes there’s a magic happens, and you don’t really know why.” Just as with Mindhunter, high production costs were the main reason why Netflix canned the beloved show, but fans didn’t take the news lying down. In 2019, some die-hard fans even attempted a hunger strike to demand a third season. Unfortunately, that never happened.
“Something happened on The OA that touched people and inspired people and connected people,” the clip of Isaacs continues. “And we know that and Zal and Britt know that and I know that. And since then, for years, everything else I publicize, journalists always want to talk, filmmakers always want to talk about it and the public want to talk about it. So it can’t be done. It mustn’t be done.”
But Jason Isaacs isn’t the only cast member who has openly spoken about a revival of The OA either. Over the years, several members of The OA’s cast and crew have voiced their discontent with the show’s sudden cancellation. However, this recent interview with Isaacs might bear the most promising signs of a new season fans have ever received. While previous interviews were more akin to wishful thinking, Isaacs mentions something that should reignite the hopes for a season three of The OA: there are streaming companies actively looking to get The OA back online in a revival series.
Marling and Batmanglij have found a warm reception outside Netflix. In 2023, the duo created the miniseries A Murder at the End of the World for Hulu. Now that Hulu is following the trend of everything Hollywood-related and merging with Disney, Marling and Batmanglij might find that the new season of The OA might come out on Disney+. That, however, is wishful thinking, as Netflix still holds the rights to the show, even if they canceled it years ago.
Still, Isaacs gave us new hope for the proper conclusion that fans deserve. While there’s still no “official” word on a revival, Isaacs’ interview at least tells us that there are some power players interested in seeing what’s next for The OA. Now that shows like Severance and Silo have reignited audiences’ love for sci-fi streaming television, the long-awaited third season of The OA might be closer than ever to becoming a reality.
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I keep on hoping.