Writer of Netflix's new #1 show says a second season is unlikely (despite that cliffhanger ending)

Netflix is notorious for using each season of a show to set up the next season, repeating the cycle ad nauseam until the series is inevitably canceled on a cliffhanger with no resolution. However, it seems that Bodies, the current number one show on Netflix in the United States, was intentionally set up as a single-season story, according to one of the show’s writers.

Paul Tomalin spoke to Hello Magazine about the almost instant success of the show, which hit the top of the Netflix charts almost immediately upon release. Bodies, as he originally pitched to Netflix, was “a one and done” series. The reason? To keep the audience from rioting against him. “I think when you have such an amazing concept up front, you p*** your audience off if you don’t solve it.”

The central concept of Bodies is a crime drama with a time-traveling twist; four detectives, decades apart from each other, find the same body in the same London alleyway. Based on the DC comic book series written by Si Spencer and illustrated by Dean Ormston, Bodies was developed for TV to close the curtain on this particular mystery immediately. “As the viewer, I hate it when you get this amazing thing. And at the end, it’s like, ‘Duh, duh, duh,’ and you’re like ‘Right, so I’ve got to wait a year and a half.’”

It seems the Bodies writer is taking the opposite approach to many TV shows, which have been known to string audiences along for as long as possible before delivering on the core concept of the show. While Tomalin remains open to the potential of more seasons, they’re satisfied if this is all we get. “This is the meal. There’s the dessert. There’s the coffee. It’s the whole thing. Closure.”

If you’re after another show to binge while waiting to see if Bodies comes back for another mystery, we’ve got all the upcoming TV shows for broadcast and streaming services collected in one place so you won’t miss any surprise hits.