Netflix has confirmed the renewal of three of its original series, two of which were obvious candidates for second seasons and one that might surprise you.
Chelsea, Netflix’s first talk show, and the first talk show on a streaming site, has, as expected, been given the green light for a second season. It will return for another 90 episodes in 2017.
Debuting in May, Chelsea, which stars comedian Chelsea Handler, serves up three episodes that are released each week on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. In the second season, Handler will continue to travel around the world, examining important issues with her typical humor, wit, and zero filter. Guests will continue to range from celebrities to dignitaries and other surprise individuals.
The second original series that has been renewed, also much to no one’s surprise, is Lady Dynamite, a single-camera comedy that stars comedian Maria Bamford. The show, which premiered in May with 13 episodes, is loosely based on Bamford’s life, including her battle with bipolar disorder. In Bamford’s words, the show tells the story of a “woman who loses and then finds her shit.” Fred Melamed appears in the show as Bamford’s manager and close friend Bruce Ben-Bacharach, and Mary Kay Place plays her mother. Guest stars include Patton Oswalt, Ana Gasteyer, Jon Cryer, Mira Sorvino, Brandon Routh, June Diane Raphael, Adam Pally, Dean Cain, Sarah Silverman, Tig Notaro, and Jenny Slate. In addition to starring in the series, Bamford also serves as executive producer alongside Pam Brady and Mitch Hurwitz.
The most surprising of the renewals, however, is Real Rob, a comedy series about comedic actor Rob Schneider that’s an exaggerated depiction of his life interspersed with some stand-up comedy for good measure. Viewers get a glimpse into Schneider’s celebrity world and personal life, including his younger Mexican wife, new baby, a persistent stalker, and an incompetent assistant.
The show has mostly flown under the radar; it hasn’t gotten nearly as much attention as Netflix’s other original series. There isn’t even a Rotten Tomatoes rating for the series, and the Metacritic score is just 36 percent based on only five critic reviews The user score is 5.4. Nevertheless, Netflix will bring it back with another eight episodes. Schneider is also produces and directs the show.
