Beloved Netflix series renewed for second season as show boss pays emotional tribute to fans
NETFLIX has announced that My Life With The Walter Boys has been recomissioned for a second season following its successful debut ten days ago.
Showrunner Melanie Halsall and actress Nikki Rodriguez opened up about the novel’s TV adaptation as they shared the good news with fans.
The first season of My Life With The Walter Boys topped the English-language TV charts after gaining over 12million views in just one week.
After earning a spot on the streamer’s Top 10 list with 7.5million views in just a few days and gaining a positive audience reception, it is no wonder Netflix didn’t hesitate to start productions for a new season.
The new young adult drama follows 15-year-old New Yorker Jackie Howard, played by Nikki, as she learns to adapt to her new life in Colorado with her guardian and ten children after suffering a tragic family loss.
Season one of the show followed the book’s storyline written by Ali Novak.
The events of the book were wrapped up by the end of the season, and the last episode was different from the ending of the novel, leaving space for a second season to grow.
Speaking about the show’s success and renewal during an interview with Deadline, showrunner Melanie said: “It’s been incredible. Phenomenal, actually. I think the audience response has just been so overwhelming and enthusiastic and positive.
“We couldn’t have hoped for better audience reaction, really.”
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Following the announcement of the show’s recommissioning, Melaine admitted that she didn’t have any plans yet for Nikki’s character Jackie since she flew off to New York at the end of the first season, but confirmed that she would be in the new season.
She discussed the character’s development, saying: “I mean, the story is set in Silver Falls.
“Beyond that, I genuinely don’t know.”
Nikki also sat down with the publication and disclosed that she isn’t sure what direction her character will take in the upcoming series, explaining that she “can’t even imagine where Season 2 would start.”
The 21-year-old rising star said: “Jackie’s going through a lot, and she has really big dreams and goals, and so I really hope for Jackie that she doesn’t get too off track and doesn’t get too distracted and just remember what she really wants.
“Ultimately, no one’s gonna look out for you the way that you would. So I think… her choosing herself is really important for people to see, and I kind of applaud Jackie for it, to be honest.”
Nikki also mentioned that she was excited about the characters from season one developing new storylines in the upcoming season, insisting ‘I can’t wait to give them the best story that can possibly happen.”
The show creator, Melanie, added: “When you’re making a television series that you want to be returning, you have to make changes from a novel. I wanted to surprise the audience.
“I wanted to give the audience something a little bit different than what they were expecting from the book.
“I wanted to leave it open-ended what Jackie was going to do and what boy she was gonna end up with.”
She concluded: “I’ve often said that maybe Jackie won’t end up with a boy, but she’ll end up on her own. Maybe that’s still the case. It was a deliberate decision to make that change, and I think it was organic to the story.”
Season 2 will allow Melanie to imagine a story for all the characters beyond Ali’s original novel.
Season 1 of My Life With The Walter Boys is streaming on Netflix.