If you’re searching for answers about a possible Sirens season 2, then you’ve come to the right place. Sirens creator Molly Smith Metzler knows you’ve got questions about what happens to the characters played by Milly Alcock, Meghann Fahy, Julianne Moore, and others, especially since the finale “doesn’t [necessarily] answer them.”
For instance, why were Peter and Simone breathing so heavily at the same time in separate scenes? What was that full conversation they had on the beach? What happens to Michaela now? And what about Devon? And for the love of good TV, will there be a Sirens season 2?
“I’m going to be on Reddit with everybody else,” Metzler says of her plans for the upcoming holiday weekend. “I want to know what people are debating.” (Read our recap here.)
Metzler, who also also adapted the Emmy-nominated Maid for Netflix, says the ending might make you rewatch the series to see what you might have missed and “maybe look at some of the assumptions they made and reexamine those.” She specifically points to Peter and Simone’s actions as well as the future of Devon and Michaela.
“What I’m sensing is a lot of concern about all three of these women, and where are they going to be in a year?” Metzler says.
There’s only one way to find out (a Sirens season 2, of course), but because the show was only intended as a limited series, that’s not a given. So, what are the odds? Below, Metzler opens up about what would need to happen to keep exploring these characters as well as your questions about everything else. Read on.
Glamour: Will there be a season 2 of Sirens?
Molly Smith Metzler: I just love this question because to me, it means that people love the characters, and that’s the ultimate compliment. These characters are real people to me. I wrote the play [that Sirens is based on] 15 years ago. I’ve been thinking about them this whole time. I could write them until the day I die. I’d never say never, but could I do them justice in another season? I’d have to think about it.
I’ll answer that for you: Yes. Yes, you could.
The fact that so many people are asking is really encouraging. Can we get [Netflix head] Ted Sarandos on the phone? But, I love that you feel that way. And thank you for feeling that way. It means you let these characters into your heart. That’s what I want everyone to do.
Let’s talk about the scene in the finale where Peter is breathing really hard in his room, and then we see Simone breathing really hard on the beach. At first I was like, “Are they related in some way that we don’t know, and they’re having this cosmic connection?” What was that supposed to signify?
Lila Neugebauer, who is the incredible director of the finale, we talked about that scene for days, and how Greg Middleton, our director of photography, was going to represent it on screen as a shared experience between these two characters. Simone’s doing what Simone’s doing, and Peter’s having a panic attack. We wanted it to feel that she was siren-zing him; she was reaching to him. Then, quite literally, we hear the singing, and I think that becomes more clear. I think that they’re sharing a space…that what’s happening is happening to both of them at the same time. This is why it’s so exciting that it’s not in a play, that it’s on screen, because we could create a visual vocabulary for a shared experience.
And when I watched it, it made me blush. I thought it felt a little sexual as well, but the breath and the way they’re in rhythm together—it is meant to feel like the power of true seduction, true intimacy, a true pull down to the beach. I loved their performances.
I was like, Is it wrong that I really want them to get together?
Peter gets panic attacks, and we know Simone does too. It is a weird thing that they have in common. They talk about it. That’s part of it, too. That’s not an accident that he’s having a panic attack. It’s like, they exist in a subconscious place together.
When they finally come together at the beach, we know they have something to say to each other, but we don’t find out about it until later. Even then, we don’t see what they said, or know the full extent of it. Was there a version of the episode in which you wrote a scene where we see that conversation? Where they admit they want to try and be together?
Yes and yes. Yes, I wrote it for my own edification and education. I needed to really understand what exactly was said there so that I could write the rest. I also wrote it knowing that people were going to ask me for it in script development, and it was great because I could be like, “Here it is, and here’s why we should not show it because actually us imagining it is better.” Also, it blows the incredible reveal of it at the end.
I think the not knowing is sexier, actually, and certainly more active. It keeps us on the tip of our toes. It was, I think, better storytelling to hold it. But the actors and I as well as Lila and our DP, Greg, all read the scene.
Can you share any of what was said in that scene?
I think Simone represents a lot of it. Peter’s like, “This is weird. This is not convenient. I don’t know what’s come over me, but I don’t want you to go. I have these strong feelings. I have never felt this way, but I may never see you again. It’s killing me.” And then she’s then like, “Well, I could stay.”
Then it goes from there. I overwrote it because in real life, people don’t say everything quite so thoroughly, but it was really just for everyone to understand what we were playing.
Fascinating. What do you imagine is in store for Michaela? I really think she could be friends with Parker Posey’s character, Victoria Ratliff, from The White Lotus. The two of them could start a business together.
I’m a fan of hers, let’s do it. I think [the Labor Day weekend is a] big weekend for Michaela. I don’t think she’ll ever be the same after this weekend. In that ferry scene at the end—God, I love Julianne’s performance in the scene—when she says, “I don’t know what’s next,” I really believe her. I don’t think she knows, but what I know about Michaela is she did give up a very prosperous law career to marry Peter.
I imagine she’s going to land on her feet. I don’t know, maybe get back into law, or maybe move to the middle of nowhere and get into rare birds there. I’m not sure, but I do think that is a character, much like Simone, who is going to always land on her feet. I’m not worried about Michaela at the end.
The way that Julianne played it, it was like Michaela finally felt free in a way that she hadn’t in a long time. She was clearly devastated to be leaving her old life behind, but there was almost a calmness that came over her as well, like, “I can be me again.”
Yes. Julianne and I talked about this. She’s incredible, but what she chose to play there, which was brilliant, is this portrayal of leaving that job you don’t want anymore, like getting fired, and it’s like, “I didn’t like that job.” She’s dressed down, and she certainly just had her heart ripped out, but I think there’s a little excitement for her, too.
On the other hand, I felt the most sympathy toward Devon. She’s going back to Buffalo to take care of her dad, but there was so much for her to be excited about with Jordan and starting over.
I think the thing with Devon is, more than ever in 2025, there are a lot of people who are in that role at home with sick and elderly parents and don’t have money, don’t have resources, don’t have a plan, and it’s real. I think she would love to sail away on a boat, but I don’t think that’s who she is as a person.
At the end of this show and watching what this world has done to her sister, there’s a part of Devon that really owns who she is. She says it to Simone, “The best thing I’ve ever done with my life is take care of you.” She owns that about herself at the end. She’s not going to sail away from her problems. Having said that, I also think this weekend really changed her. I think she’s going to get her own apartment. I think she’s going to work on her sobriety. I don’t think she’s going to mess around with Ray anymore. I imagine her being in a place where she wants to be in a relationship with someone like Jordan. I bet that’s coming for her.
I was so bummed for Devon when she said she couldn’t come with Jordan, and I was so bummed for him as well.
I know, I know, but also, I feel like all women have this. We have to allow ourselves to be with someone good, too. You have to arrive at that place in your life where you’re like, “I deserve someone who’s good.” I don’t think Devon’s there yet.
Right. She’s getting there. By the way, in the play that Sirens is based off of, did Edible Arrangements exist in that as well? Or was the fruit basket just something that was used for the series?
No, it not in the play. I actually gave a lot of thought about what would be the one thing Simone could send Devon that would push her over the edge. I love an Edible Arrangement, but they’re comically large and a little bit ridiculous in a place like Buffalo.
When you’re going through a trauma, you don’t typically eat fruit. It was so much fun when we figured out that that would be the thing. We had all talked about it, like, “What would send her over the edge? Flowers? No, it’s a $200 Edible Arrangement.” Then later, we find out it’s something Michaela does too. It’s a learned behavior.
I really want Ted Sarandos to send you two of them for the launch with a card that reads, “Congratulations on season two.”
Let’s call Ted right now together. Let’s get him on the line.
So, would you really be open to a season 2 if they were interested?
Yeah. I feel like it would be an incredible honor to work with this team and with this cast again. These characters are real people to me. I love them. I know them inside and out. Honestly, every inch of making the show was just a dream…so yes. But my hesitation would always be, do I have another story that would be worthy of this incredible cast? There’s nothing worse than coming back for the wrong reason. You got to come right back for the right reason.
On another note, I was surprised to learn that the character of Peter didn’t exist in your original play. Kevin Bacon has such a presence in the series. Do you think Peter is really in love with Simone, and vice versa?
I think it’s possible. We have the stories we tell ourselves. I think Simone is telling herself a story. It may or may not be true, but she has to in order to survive this world. When she’s telling Devon, “This is a great weekend. I didn’t get fired,” I think she means it. She’s telling herself a story. We all tell ourselves stories. Peter’s telling himself a story. Whether the stories are going to end poorly, I can’t say.
I do feel empathy for both of them, and I believe both of them. I’m curious what the audience thinks. I also think there’s no wrong answer; it’s complex enough that whatever you think is right.
Thinking ahead to a possible season 2, I think they’d have a baby because he said he might want more kids, and she’ll want to please him. That’s my theory.
Well, I’ve been on a bunch of panels with Milly Alcock, and people keep asking her, “What do you think is next for Simone?” Every time, she says, “Oh, I’m pregnant as soon as possible.” So, I think you might be right, Jessica.
Appreciate it. [Laughs] Speaking of Milly, the last shot we get is of Simone looking over the water with the house behind her, and she’s wearing the pale blue gown. What did you want that moment to visually represent?
Well, I love bookends. We open the show with Michaela on the cliff in a gown, and [at the end] we’re in the reverse. We go off with the bird, and then we end going off on Simone, literally standing in her spot. I love the cyclical visual storytelling of that. I also think there’s something about the take that we used of Simone. She has a bit of a Mona Lisa smile. The way our DP Greg shot it’s so beautiful, but also, it’s really hard to know if she’s victorious or if it’s bittersweet. She’s a little opaque, and that was a choice that she made in the moment. I love it because, to me, it feels like as we pull away, this story is going to continue. It’s a tale as old as time. Literally, it’s from Greek mythology. This is an old, old story.
Were there any other endings you had thought of, or was this always how you were going to land it?
No, I always knew the show was going to end with Devon and Michaela on the ferry. The play ends with Devon and Michaela on the couch in the one room. That’s the show. I always knew the two of them were going to end on the ferry together. Then, I always knew that we would somehow see, in a symbolic way, Simone in her new role. I wasn’t sure what it would be, but once we found that house and saw the cliff, I was like, “Well, we’ll do this here.”
That’s the other question that’s going to be on everyone’s mind: Where is this house?
The house is in Cutchogue, which is in North Shore, Long Island. It’s North Fork, way out. We shot mostly at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn. The house, which is a little CGI and a little real, is in Cutchogue. What is real and not CGI at all is the stairs. All of those stairs are real. We dragged cameras up and down them for six months.
I was thinking, that is a massive workout for anyone who does those stairs.
It was a massive workout. And it was so important. When we scouted houses, it was the most important thing to me—that staircase—because we see Simone run them, and she’s running. This is an ambitious story about ambition in a lot of ways. That staircase was the most important thing, and we were so lucky to find it in that house.
Talk to me a little bit about the tone of the show; you weaved the comedy and drama so beautifully together.
Thank you so much. I did not do it alone. That is the answer. When you have a tone like this that’s so specific, and singular, and also stubborn, I’m like, “No, no, no. We can be funny and sad. These things can happen together. We can also be mysterious. We can also be a little scary.” All of these things. It’s a very specific tone, but you don’t get to control that yourself. You have to build an incredible creative team, and you have to all see the same tone and make the same show.
That’s why it’s successful. Nicole Kassell, our director, is a dog with a bone when it comes to prep and tone. We talked about the tone of the show for months, and she really got it and executed it in this incredible way and set it up for the rest of the show. We toned with the actors. We toned with our DPs, we toned with Carolyn Duncan, our incredible costume designer. We were all making the same show, and we all had the same vision for it. That’s the only reason it works. If one of us was off, it would’ve felt lopsided.
What about the staff that works at the Kell compound? Are they all still employed there? Do you think some of them quit once Simone becomes the new Mrs. Kell? Actually, they’re not married yet, right?
They didn’t get married, but I bet they will. I think it’s implied, yeah. But I’m dying to see what people will think about the staff. There’s some staff members that are not going to survive the transition. I’m mostly interested in Jose. He’s been with Peter for decades. I get the feeling at the end that he’s going to ride or die for Peter, but I wonder if Simone is the ultimate test. I don’t know, but I think there’d be a really fun thing to come back and find out.
Before we go, what was it like working with this brilliant cast? Any interesting casting stories we may not know?
I can tell you two things: One is that they all genuinely like each other. We were doing press the last few days, and I’ve never seen actors so excited to see each other. They really, really liked each other, and it was fun. It was hot. There was ticks. It was a tough shoot. There were all those stairs, but everyone was so happy to be at work. There was so much joy, and that always comes from the top. Julianne Moore is just the most generous. There was not an unpleasant person on that set, and they loved each other, so I feel very proud of that. We had a good summer.
The other tidbit, and this is trivia I haven’t told anybody, so I’ll just tell you: When you watch the show, the beautiful vocal singing in the show is actually Meghann Fahy. That’s my secret.
That’s really cool.
She is an incredible singer. We were recording and were like, “We need a female vocal. Maybe Meghann will do it for us?” And she did. I think the show is in Devon’s point of view, and literally the music is too. It’s a little Easter egg. It’s crazy how beautiful her voice is. She’s too perfect for words.
Well, you have written and created a perfect show. No pressure at all, but bring on season 2. What if “Hey, hey,” is the new, “Piper, no!?”
I’d be deeply honored to be the new “Piper, no!” It’s funny, the same exact tagline in a different actor’s voice wouldn’t have worked. Julianne’s just made it so special. It has such power because she delivered it, but it would be cool to hear it around. The only person who won’t be saying it is Julianne. She’s like, “Never again.” [Laughs]
I’ll tell you this, for the last two years, all of our emails [for the show] start with, “Hey, hey.” Nikki [director Nicole Kassell] and I gave each other necklaces that say, “Hey, hey.” It’s a thing. It’s definitely a thing.
The post Will There Be a Sirens Season 2 on Netflix? Here’s What Creator Molly Smith Metzler Says appeared first on Glamour.
