‘Sharp Objects’ Showrunner Marti Noxon Says There Likely Won’t Be A Second Season

HBO‘s “Sharp Objects” came to an end this weekend drawing 1.8 million viewers at its 9pm debut and 2.6 million viewers including replays and viewing on Go/Now— a finale within 6% of the conclusion of the cable channels Emmy-winning “Big Little Lies” 1.9 million in April 2017.

Jean-Marc Vallée (“Wild“) directed both “Big Little Lies” and “Sharp Objects” and his hot streak hasn’t dimmed since “Dallas Buyers Club” scored Oscar wins for his two leading actors.

These ratings point to the sudden dilemma with the critically acclaimed mini-series. These series are supposed to be a limited and end. With the stigma of TV long gone and the era of Peak TV creating a space for prestige dramas rarely made for the theatrical audiences, the mini-series is very attractive for a film star like Amy Adams (who stars in “Sharp Objects”) to pop in, do some TV, collect awards, and then leave without the commitments and constraints of a long series (i.e. Matthew McConaughey in “True Detective” season 1).

But popularity is intoxicating. “Big Little Lies” was definitely only supposed to be a limited series and Vallée, who directed the entirety of the first season, swore that he was one and done. However, the show became a massive hit, as well as a big Emmy winner, and its stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Shailene Woodley all received massive paydays and convinced him to come back. Well, sort of. The filmmaker returned as an executive producer, gave his blessing and handed off the real directing chores to Andrea Arnold (2016’s “American Honey“).

But the point is, those big-name stars and filmmakers rarely have intentions to stick things out pass a mini-series, so a return of the hit team can be difficult.

And now, with the huge ratings success (and the anticipated awards consideration), there are already the questions of: will there be a second season of “Sharp Objects?” (I fully expect Amy Adams to take an award and probably the show itself for Best Limited Series but in 2019).

That being said, it’s very doubtful Adams and Vallée will be available at all, as both are rightfully high in demand. Also, “Sharp Objects” writer  Gillian Flynn‘s “Utopia” is back on at Amazon, leaving her busy for the foreseeable future. This leads showrunner Marti Noxon to believe the show, conceived to be a one-and-done limited series, will remain just that.

“It’s off the table in terms of, people are going on to their next projects,” she told THR this week. “And it was a pretty hard A-team to assemble.”

Noxon suggested creatively, there could be a way forward, but the reality of schedules makes it extremely doubtful. “It’s not hard to imagine from a story standpoint, because obviously, we love these characters, but from a technical standpoint it seems like a long shot,” she said.

“Sharp Objects” is a curious show and here’s where I launch into my diatribe. It was a bruising, emotionally visceral look at trauma, female interiority, vulnerability and repressing the nightmares of our past (especially those of the variety that often happen to young, impressionable, easily manipulated young girls who have not found agency yet).

Adams was fantastic on the show, as was Eliza Scanlen who played Adams’ sister Amma (expect big things from here, she’s the show’s breakout star, no question). Vallée already has a strong affinity for the fluidity of memory, the suddenness of it, and female damage and anguish (see “Wild,” which Reese Witherspoon loved starring in so much she tapped him for “Big Little Lies”). So, “Sharp Objects” was hauntingly expressive, incredibly well shot, beautifully atmospheric and sonically impressive even if it used far too much Led Zeppelin, far too often (Vallée also has a great touch for using pop music in cinema).

But it’s “plot,” a murder mystery, as a side dish to the show’s real story of Adams struggling with her return to home and how it unleashes all her painful childhood memories, was a distraction, and one the show didn’t seem all that interested in anyhow.

However, its rushed, hokey ending failed the show, failed Adams character, and felt like something out of a –Omg, it was secretly [Spoiler!] all along!— airport novel. Worse, there was a post-credit scene that made the entire story feel like a double fake out. Honestly, it was really, really bad and marred another wise, excellently put-together series.

I’m not alone, Pajiba called the ending an “abrupt, frustrating misstep,” the New York Times wrote an entire article for those “baffled” by the conclusion. Slate called it deeply “unsatisfying.”

I think this is my longwinded way of saying, “Sharp Object” was engrossing, but ultimately, I hope Adams, Vallée, and the A-list players get busy as hell and stay far, far away from the idea of a second season. Please just collect your inevitable trophies and move on.