Could HBO's 'Mare of Easttown' Get a Second Season?

Creator Brad Ingelsby is down to stay in Delaware County a bit longer.

mare of easttown
HBO
HBO

The final episode of HBO's latest prestige murder mystery Mare of Easttown wraps up pretty beautifully. The case of who murdered Erin McMenamin is solved, and Kate Winslet's Mare Sheehan takes a necessary step toward her own healing. Even though some questions never got answered, there is no ambiguous ending leaving audiences to guess what happens next. But does that mean there will be no more Mare? Not necessarily.

Mare of Easttown was conceived as a limited series, but it's absolutely not unheard of for shows that were initially intended as one-offs to get a second wind if they are popular enough. And Mare seems far better equipped to expand than some of its prestige predecessors. (Cough, cough: Big Little Lies.) The protagonist is a detective, after all, and future seasons could very well fall into a procedural-type rhythm. Creator Brad Ingelsby is not ruling out a continued exploration of Mare and her Delco world.

"I love writing Mare," said Ingelsby ahead of the series premiere. "If people like the show, I could definitely see myself writing these characters again. I really enjoy spending time with them." At least numbers-wise, Mare certainly has earned its Season 2 speculation. According to HBO, between its premiere in April and its penultimate episode, viewership for the series tripled. It eventually became the number one series on HBO Max. In an age when the streaming and broadcast landscape is diffuse and it's harder than ever to get fans to settle in and all watch an hour of content at the same time, Mare became the rare modern day equivalent of must-see TV. WarnerMedia's streaming service even broke just as the finale was premiering.

Of course, Mare hasn't been renewed for a Season 2 yet, and to make another one would require Winslet to clear her schedule to head back to the land of Wawa and hoagies. (She would be up for it: Winslet told TVLine that she would "absolutely love to play Mare again.") Not to mention, there's always a chance that a second season could offer diminishing returns, as is the case for so many series that have gone past a logical stopping point. Even an analogue to Mare like the British program Broadchurch never hit the highs of its first installment. Ingelsby admitted that, at least before the show started airing, he didn't have a long-term storyline in mind, just that he would engage in conversations about what's to come should the network be interested. 

What Mare does have going for it is Ingelsby's unbridled affection for his creation. "It's rare that you really get to love a character as much as I love Mare," he said. "So I would certainly be open to the idea."

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Esther Zuckerman is a senior entertainment writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @ezwrites.