Everything We Know About The Empress Season Two
Just as fall began, bringing with it the irrepressible impulse to curl up under a blanket and binge an entire season of TV at once, Netflix really rose to the occasion by launching The Empress, an addictive new period drama tailor-made to fill the Bridgerton-shaped hole in your viewing schedule. And now, the show has officially been renewed for season two.
Early in November, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Netflix had renewed The Empress, with stars Devrim Lingnau and Philip Froissant both reprising their roles.
The renewal is no surprise, given the success of the show to date. Season one has been in Netflix’s global top 10 non-English TV ranking for five straight weeks, and has topped viewing ranks in 88 countries, including the UK, Austria, Mexico and the show's home country, Germany.
“I am incredibly grateful that we were able to touch so many different people in Germany and all over the world with our series,” said Eyssen. “The story of Elisabeth’s life is a story of the power of love, but also of the courage to be different, and of hope for a better future, and that is what we need at this time. That’s why we are very happy to be able to continue telling this exciting story.”
Season one delved into the early story of Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria, an Austrian empress famed as much for her beauty as for her unusually tragic life—if you're not concerned about spoilers for potential future seasons, you can read more about the true story. German actress Devrim Lingnau stars in the series as 16-year-old Elisabeth, a.k.a. "Sisi", opposite Phillip Froissant as Emperor Franz Joseph, who abandons his engagement to Sisi's sister to marry her instead. After moving to Vienna as the Emperor's wife, Sisi soon finds herself embroiled in the machinations and scheming of the court—all with the shadow of revolution looming large over the nobility.
Along with Lingnau and Froissantto, Netflix has confirmed the returns of supporting cast members Melika Foroutan as Archduchess Sophie, Johannes Nussbaum as Archduke Maximilian, Almila Bagriacik as Countess Leontine von Apafi, and Jördis Triebel as Ludovika.
Season 1 most definitely leaves things open for more episode, wrapping up on a significant turning point in Elisabeth's reign and relationship with the public. In the back half of the season, the empress had become increasingly disillusioned with both the court and her husband, after discovering the poverty that many Austrian citizens were living in. After a tense confrontation with her mother-in-law, Elisabeth is on the brink of leaving royal life and returning home to Bavaria – but at the last moment, she discovers that she's pregnant, and announces the news to the public.
Given how Elisabeth and Franz's relationship had deteriorated, and the mounting protests surrounding the court, this ending opens up a lot of intriguing possibilities for season 2.
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