Netflix's new series Bodkin is the latest fictional show about the making of a true-crime podcast; think Only Murders in the Building but set in Ireland and somehow even more absurd. Produced by Higher Ground (a.k.a. Barack and Michelle Obama's company), the comedy-thriller stars Will Forte as Gilbert Power, a happy-go-lucky American podcaster who travels to Ireland to solve a decades-old mystery in the small town of Bodkin. Helping him make the podcast is Dove (Siobhán Cullen), a cynical print journalist who thinks podcasts aren't real reporting, and Emmy (Robyn Cara), an eager researcher excited about her first assignment in the field.
Over its seven episodes, Bodkin sucks you into its fictional mystery (yes, both the plot and the town are fictional), as it becomes clear that many of the town's residents don't want anyone snooping about. The truth behind every secret is revealed by the end of the final episode—but that doesn't necessarily mean the series won't return. Here's everything we know so far about a possible Bodkin season 2.
Has 'Bodkin' been renewed for season 2?
There's been no news of a possible renewal yet, but it's only been a short time since the series dropped on streaming. Bodkin has sat steadily on Netflix's Top 10 since the show's May 9 premiere, even as it was released following the recent success of hit shows like Baby Reindeer and A Man in Full, as well as Netflix's popular Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival.
So far, the best clue we have of a possible Bodkin season 2 is that the show is billed as ongoing, rather than a limited series. Still, fans will likely have to wait for another couple of month's worth of ratings to hear about the thriller's future.
What could 'Bodkin' season 2 be about?
By the end of season 1, the podcasters uncover the truth about the mystery that first brought them to Bodkin—the disappearance of three people during the Gaelic festival Samhain 25 years ago. They also manage to piece together all of the chaos they found during their stay, the international eel-smuggling ring included. (We'll spare the details of what exactly plays out in the Bodkin finale, but eel smuggling is in fact a lucrative, harmful underground business that Europol is working to crack down on.)
Though we learned the fates and identities of the three people who went missing during Samhaim, there's one present-day character whose fate was left up in the air. Seamus Gallagher, a.k.a. smuggler on the run Jackie McFadden, was in the eel-truck explosion that took one of Sean's thumbs. His death wasn't confirmed nor shown on screen, though. Did his rivals the McArdles finally catch up to him, or did he escape to (possibly) run into the podcasting trio again in the future?
As for the main trio, their roles are reversed by the end of the series. Gilbert decides to trash the podcast they were working on and get a job outside the podcasting industry, while Emmy uses a bit of the assertiveness she learned from Dove to get Dove's old reporting job at The Guardian. Meanwhile, Dove becomes a podcaster herself, which means there's still an avenue for the former print reporter to investigate a new mystery and enlist the help of her old colleagues in the process.
Which cast members would return for 'Bodkin' season 2?
If Bodkin does turn into a mystery-per-season series, only the main podcasting trio would likely return. That includes Will Forte (Gilbert Power), Siobhán Cullen (Dove), and Robyn Cara (Emmy). We can also hope that some of the local Bodkin standouts will return for at least a quick hello; fingers crossed especially for Chris Walley (Sean O’Shea) and David Wilmot (Seamus Gallagher/Jack McFadden). If they take their investigative reporting elsewhere, it's hard to say who we'll see again, but surely more intriguing suspects would be introduced.
