Kindred Season 2: Everything We Know So Far

 

Avid readers of Octavia E. Butler’s work believe that she’s been among the most underrated writers in the science fiction universe. That is perhaps why they were elated to see Kindred being developed into a series.

 

Fortunately for them, the science fiction show did not disappoint and managed to grab our attention with its exciting storyline and stunning characters. In Kindred, we track the journey of Dana; A Black woman who takes a bold decision to move to Los Angeles to live closer to the only family member left in her life, Aunt Denise.

 

However, her seemingly stable life welcomes a twist when she is abruptly transported back in time to the antebellum plantation where her ancestors were enslaved for quite a long time.

 

As she continues to fluctuate between her past and present, she realizes that her stay at the plantation is becoming longer and more dangerous. During the course of her stay, she is forced to withstand the lethal legacies of misogynoir, white supremacy, and slavery.

 

Since the series dealt with so many critical issues in an engaging manner, it launched to largely positive reviews. However, for some strange reason, it failed to create a word-of-mouth buzz among the masses.

 

 

 

Official Announcement of Kindred Season 2

 

The first season of Kindred comprised most things that a fan of science fiction could’ve hoped for. It had a plot that thrived on the praiseworthy performance of its main lead and aimed to cast a light on some important and relevant social issues.

 

However, the viewers were surprised to learn that the streaming network FX cancelled the show following its debut season. This came more as a shock than a surprise because the story concluded on a cliffhanger.

 

Since FX tries to create their shows diligently, they might take some time to come up with another season of Kindred. Sure, none of us want to believe that Dana’s journey has actually come to an end!

 

Well, it certainly may have on its mother channel, but things may still be far from over. We say so because showrunner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has gone on to state that they might want to renew the show for a fresh season on another network.

 

While it may have been an unprecedented move by FX to cancel the show right after its initial season, it is difficult to think that it is the end of Dana’s deep story.

 

While Jacobs-Jenkins and the viewers hope that the series is acquired by another platform, the former has even gone on to confess that he would like to cover the entire story of Kindred through new seasons.

 

That said, it’s not so hard to gauge that the second season of Kindred might take a while before it premieres even if it’s taken up by a different streaming network.

 

Needless to say, we can only wait and hope for the best at the moment.

 

 

 

Previous Season and Episodes of Kindred

 

If you have seen Kindred and flipped through its source material, you’d be able to tell that the debut season explored the first three chapters of the novel. We see how the central protagonist has to time travel to help heal generational wounds.

 

Even though the book and the show deal with time travel, history, family, and themes of race and gender, there still are a number of significant differences between the two.

 

We see Mallori Johnson’s Dana time travelling between the present and antebellum Maryland in the early 1800s. But, the catch here is that the “present” time in the series is 2016.

 

On the other hand, the “present” in the novel is 1976. Not only that but Dana, who is married to Kevin Franklin in the book, has barely begun her relationship with him in the series.

 

Since the “present” time was altered in the show to appeal to today’s audience, the makers had to ensure that there was an evolution of gender roles or gendered behaviours.

 

Another difference worth mentioning is that Dana’s mother plays a crucial role in the series. However, the book reads that she met her demise Dana was quite young. Kindred comprised 8 episodes in its debut season, each of which was at least 45 minutes long.

 

We feel that the viewers might enjoy the episodes ‘Dana’ and ‘Sabina’ the most from the first season.

 

 

 

Where to Watch Kindred

 

Those who are residing in the United Kingdom and Canada can comfortably stream Kindred on Disney+. To its viewers in the United States of America, the show is available for streaming on Hulu.

 

 

 

Google Trends Data Analysis for Kindred Season 2

 

The data pertaining to the intriguing series on Google reveals that fans have taken the news of it not renewing anytime soon seriously. Since FX cancelled the show following the culmination of season 1, the searches concerning the same have hit rock bottom in absolutely no time.

 

The short-lived series was looked up on Google by many people after it made its premiere on December 13, 2022. However, their interest in the same showed a steady fall after its cancellation was announced.

 

While it is difficult to gauge if the second season is currently in the pipeline, what, however, isn’t tough to tell is the fact that the viewers did show an interest in it during the initial months of 2023.

 

This could be because most people may have started searching for Kindred online after having binged the first season. Be that as it may, the rare move of announcing a cancellation almost immediately after the first season’s finale ended up showing its colours as the search trends related to the show on Google saw a dramatic decline after the first couple of months in 2023.

 

 

Social Media Engagement for Kindred Season 2

 

Since Kindred being cancelled at FX was a rare, one-of-a-kind move by the channel, the opinions shared by the users on social media primarily talked about the same. Not only that but several entertainment and pop-culture-related web portals from across the globe also came up with write-ups related to the show’s cancellation after the announcement was made in early 2023.

 

While Facebook and X are two major platforms where the news has openly been discussed by the users, a forum like Reddit seems to be a lot less interested in the topic of late.

 

On X, several users can be seen sharing posts where they are hoping for the show to bounce back with a second season, even if it has to debut on a separate network.

 

Moreover, they believe that its plot has still got a lot to give and, therefore, deserves a continuation.

 

 

Expected Plot of Kindred Season 2

 

If you haven’t seen the first season and are also unfamiliar with the book, allow us to tell you that a second season can easily start with the fourth chapter.

 

Since the first season concluded by showing Dana’s lover Kevin being stuck in antebellum Maryland, a strong storyline can be constructed showcasing a frantic Dana doing all she can to travel back in time and rescue him.

 

We may also get to see the lady coming to terms with her family’s intricate relationship with Rufus Weylin, who was the child she managed to rescue during her maiden trip to the antebellum South.

 

That being said, one can never rule out the probability of the showrunner changing things up on-screen for the purpose of entertainment. That, however, seems highly unlikely given that Jacobs-Jenkins plans to stick to the source material.

 

So, let’s just hope that Kindred finds a new network and that the production of a fresh season commences soon; primarily because the audience deserves to watch the entire journey of Dana and her loved ones.

 

 

Top 5 Characters in Kindred

 

1. Dana James

 

Mallori Johnson’s Dana James is a young Black woman and aspiring writer who finds herself getting drawn to her incredibly complex past. Sooner than later, we witness her being pulled back and forth in time.

 

Expectedly, she gets to learn a ton of things about her life and family during the course of her eye-opening journey.

 

2. Kevin Franklin

 

Portrayed by Micah Stock, Kevin Franklin is a progressive White man who marries the Black woman he loves despite not receiving his family’s blessings. Over time, we see him trying to support Dana with her issues while fighting for his ideals in the South by helping slaves escape.

 

That said, seldom does he realizes that he, intentionally or not, also tends to dominate her from time to time. However, he maintains a strong grip on his humour throughout the storyline.

 

3. Rufus Weylin

 

Rufus is a power-drunk slave owner who we think aspires to be a decent human. However, he is barely ever seen doing the necessary to establish himself as one. He is a consistently atrocious man who can be seen putting others to do his dirty work; perhaps to defend himself from the violence and insanity of his actions.

 

As the story progresses, we catch him using coercion and aggression to even be loved.

 

4. Alice Greenwood

 

If you’ve seen the first season, you’ll probably feel that Alice Greenwood comes across as the antebellum-South version of Dana. In fact, she is perhaps what Dana would have been like had she been born into the world earlier.

 

We see Alice’s willpower being battered and her becoming desperate after she is forced to bear Rufus’s children.

 

5. Tom Weylin

 

There is a reason why Rufus turned out to be the way he did. He was born to Tom Weylin; a cruel man who used to beat slaves for minor insubordination.

 

While we feel that he can come off as fair at times, it’s tough to negate the fact that he is extremely belligerent when he wants to be. Since he sees his slaves as an investment, he does his best to protect them.

 

Also, we feel that he is afraid of the unknown since he hasn’t seen much of the world and is perhaps quite unaware of its many surprises.

 

 

Important Crew Members of Kindred

 

1. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

 

Showrunner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has made it clear in several interviews that his aim with Kindred (the show) was to balance genre concepts and character fundamentals to bring Octavia Butler’s novel on-screen.

 

If you’ve binged the show in one go, you’d know that the tension ingrained into its screenplay is palpable. Also, it is easy to measure that a sense of development under pressure and over time drives the story; precisely what Jacobs-Jenkins wanted.

 

For those who do not know, his plays Gloria and Everybody were the finalists for the 2016 and 2018 Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, respectively. In fact, the showrunner has also been named a MacArthur Fellow for 2016.

 

2. Janicza Bravo

 

The director of movies like Gregory Go Boom and Lemon, Janicza Bravo was entrusted with the task of helming the pilot episode of Kindred. Also a movie producer and screenwriter, she kick-started her journey as a wardrobe designer and stylist.

 

However, she soon got her break writing and directing a series of short films. In fact, Gregory Go Boom went on to win the short-film jury award at the Sundance Film Festival.

 

3. Ayoka Chenzira

 

Ayoka Chenzira, who has helmed two episodes of Kindred, happens to be the first African-American woman animator. In fact, it is imperative to mention that she is one of a handful of Black experimental filmmakers working since the late 1970s.

 

She is regarded as a film educator in the press and is also described as a media activist for social justice. Indeed, people acknowledge her for boldly challenging stereotypical representations of African Americans in the mainstream media.

 

4. Twin Shadow

 

This Dominican-American singer, songwriter and record producer provided the score for the series, making his much-awaited television scoring debut. The man is based in Los Angeles and has released five studio albums to date.

 

A lot many of you may not be knowing that he is also an actor and author. As a matter of fact, Shadow has written a novel called The Night of the Silver Sun.

 

5. Anka Malatynska and Cybel Martin

 

Let’s just start by saying that Octavia Butler’s seismic sci-fi novel Kindred opens with a dark summoning. So, of course, cinematographers Anka Malatynska and Cybel Martin had to take responsibility to ensure that the energy depicted in the novel was translated well on-screen.

 

Safe to say, the television adaptation turned out to be as intriguing as it was psychological, and a large chunk of the credit must go to the show’s cinematographers.

 

 

Top 5 Shows Similar to Kindred

 

If you have devoured Kindred in a day or two and are looking forward to watching more shows on the same lines, fret no more for we have got a few solid options for you.

 

1. Dark

 

Dark is a unique tale about families with a supernatural twist. Set in an atmospheric German town, it tracks the sudden disappearance of two young children. Just like how Dana gets to learn a lot about her complicated life after venturing into the past in Kindred, we get to learn quite a few things about the fractured relationships among four families after two kids go missing in Dark.

 

In the latter too, a sinful past is exposed along with the double lives of characters inhabiting the screenplay.

 

2. Stranger Things

 

Credited with giving the world of entertainment a group of fresh and young talents, Stranger Things is one of the most popular Netflix shows in the world. The story takes us back to the electrifying ’80s in Indiana where a group of young but audacious friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits.

 

Needless to say, they join forces to look for answers and, in the process, end up unearthing a series of extraordinary mysteries that go on to change their lives forever.

 

3. Secrets of Sulphur Springs

 

In this likeable time-travel mystery thriller drama television series, we catch Griffin shifting to a seemingly haunted town named Sulphur Springs with his beloved family. While there, he stumbles upon a girl from school named Harper.

 

They become tight pals soon and go on to unlock a time-travelling portal while encountering a lurking ghost in the process.

 

4. Summer Time Rendering

 

Even though Summer Time Rendering is an anime, we must include it in our story. In the program, we witness Shinpei travelling back to his native island to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Ushio, who is said to have perished accidentally at sea.

 

However, sooner than later, Shinpei realizes that the people there are acting rather strangely and that something is going on. Like Kindred, the show thrives on its intricate characters, unique plot, and a blend of drama and science fiction.

 

5. Kyle XY

 

Kyle XY tracks the complicated yet intriguing journey of a 16-year-old unidentified boy named Kyle, who is found wandering naked in the woods. Soon after, he is sent to a detention centre for examination.

 

What adds to his enigma is that he doesn’t speak or seem to understand human language. Not only that but he also exhibits no instincts or emotions and has no belly button.

 

Needless to say, this interesting beginning to the show sets the ball rolling for what is to follow.