Summary
Daredevil: Born Againwill debut on Disney Plus in a few days. However, even before the first season’s premiere, there are already discussions about its second season.
Charlie Cox is returning as Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, inDaredevil: Born Again. Fans are thrilled that the show was revived on Disney Plus. The originalDaredevilseries streamed on Netflix. It was well-received and ran for three seasons. A fourth season was in the pipeline, but Marvel Studios ended its deal with the streaming giant and moved to Disney Plus. After over five years,Daredevilhas been rebooted with nine episodes for Season 1. Its showrunner just announced the episode count for the second season and it is set to disappoint fans.
Series executive producer Sana Amanat and showrunner Dario Scardapane sat down for an interview with Collider ahead ofDaredevil: Born Again’spremiere. During the chat, Scardapane gave an update about the next season and confirmed that Season 2 would have fewer episodes. “At this point, it will be a nine-episode first season. We start shooting an eight-episode second season on Friday, and the future is unwritten,” he said. He added that he wasn’t sure if the series would end after that, noting:
I don’t know if the story necessarily ends at the end of the second season. I think the future’s unwritten.
The revelation sparked discussion on social media and online forums. It received mixed reactions because fans usually expect the second season to have at least the same number of episodes as the first season, so they are always disappointed when they realize that Season 2 is shorter. “Imagine if Season 3 is 7 episodes,” onecommented. Anotherjokedthat with decreasing episodes each season, it will eventually come to “0 episodes.” However, some were open about the reduced episode count because, for them, it depends on the quality of writing. “8 is more than okay. 8 to 10, depending on the writing, editing, directing, etc, is usually the sweet spot. Seen shows where 8 episodes felt like a stretch and dragged on, so the episode count doesn’t matter as much as what you are doing with the episodes,” a Reddit userwrote. Another user attempted to appease the others,saying: “There’s nothing to worry about. Why all people [are] worried? TLOU has 8 episodes,The [B]oystoo.”
The reactions aboutDaredevil: Born AgainSeason 2 having fewer episodes are not surprising. Fans usually react that way when they realize the next season is shorter.Squid Gamefans reacted the same way when they learned that itssecond season only had seven episodescompared to Season 1’s nine episodes. WhenSquid GameSeason 3’s episode count leaked, revealing it would only have six episodes, fans made the same reaction. “Six episodes is way too short,” one wrote.
In general, this reaction is understandable because fans grow attached to characters and their arcs, so a lesser screen time makes them feel incomplete. Also, they feel that the show has to cut significant events for a shorter timeframe and the plots are too fast, not giving the characters enough time for emotional depth and development. Additionally, when their favorite show has fewer episodes, this sparks concerns that it might be canceled or there’s a budget cut, which isn’t necessarily true in all cases.
