Only a few German Netflix Originals have been able to surpass the immense success that Barbarians was able to garner during its release. The Empress is one of them. Written by Katharine Eyssen and co-written by Bernd Lange, Lena Stahl, and Janna Maria Nandzik, The Empress is Netflix Original historical romantic drama series. Co-directed by Florian Cossen and Katrin Gebbe, the drama is based on the early life and romantic escapades of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Season 1 of The Empress revolves around Elizabeth Wittebach and her marriage to Franz Joseph, the Emperor of Austria, at the age of 16. It aptly showcases her struggle to voice out in court and go against her mother-in-law.
However, ever since The Empress was renewed for a second season, the fans of the historical fiction are twiddling their thumbs, anticipating any news regarding the arrival of the same. If you’re one of them, then you’ve come to the right destination because we have gathered for you all the latest crumbs of information about the latest season of this German historical drama.
When was The Empress officially renewed for a second season?
The moment The Empress dropped on Netflix in September 2022, it instantly enthralled Netflix viewers with its gorgeous costumes, riveting romantic tales, and intricate palaces. It wouldn’t have been very disheartening if the streaming giant had not renewed such an enthralling show for a second season. But, as you know, Netflix seldom disheartens its audience.
The Empress was renewed for a second season on November 8th, 2022. Although the decision comes six weeks after season one’s premiere, it has still piqued the excitement of the viewers of the show. Considering the amount of viewing hours season one was able to garner within the first two weeks of its premiere, which is over 106,000,000 million hours, it does not come off as a surprise that it has been renewed for a second season. Touted as the most-watched non-English language series on Netflix for at least a week, the show has been able to gain a total of 159,800,000 million hours in the Netflix top ten.
Expressing her gratitude, the showrunner Katharina Eyssen said, “I am incredibly grateful that we were able to touch so many different people in Germany and all over the world with our series. 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.”
What is the release date of The Empress Season 2?
At the time of writing this article, The Empress season 2 does not have an exact release date. Not only that, but since there is no production update available, it is hard to presume the arrival of this German historical drama. Once the filming updates are out, we’ll be able to make some educated guesses regarding the time frame of the new episodes. But if we were to still make a guess, it might release somewhere in late 2023.
What to expect from The Empress Season 2?
In season 1, we see Elizabeth giving birth to the first of her four children, Archduchess Sophie of Austria. Even though the birth of her first child is the happiest moment of her life, Elizabeth found herself at odds with her mother-in-law since the latter took the responsibility of raising the former’s children. Be that as it may, when Elisabeth takes her child to travel in Hungary, she dies of a high fever. As a result, all of the surviving children grow apart from their mothers, who started to showcase ‘unmotherly’ characteristics.
The second is expected to underscore the life of Elizabeth after her pregnancy and the first couple of years of life as a mother following the tragic death of her firstborn child. To get more insight into the drama, here’s the official synopsis of The Empress season 1 reads (courtesy of Netflix):
“When rebellious Elisabeth (“Sisi”) meets Franz, Emperor of Austria, the young couple’s extraordinary love completely jumbles the dynasty’s power structure. After the wedding, the young empress not only has to find herself in a world that is strange to her but also has to assert herself against Sophie, her mother-in-law, who before had been the most powerful woman in court. Furthermore, Franz’s unpredictable brother Maxi, who, as the second born, has always stood in the shadow of his powerful brother, turns Sisi’s emotional world upside down. While enemy troops are forming at the borders of the Habsburg empire, a new revolution lies in the air in Vienna. Elisabeth has to find out who she can trust and what it costs to become the empress and figure of hope for an entire nation.”
Who are the expected cast members of The Empress Season 2?
According to Radio Times, the following cast members are confirmed to return for season 2:
- Devrim Lingnau as Elisabeth von Wittelsbach
- Philip Froissant as Franz Joseph I of Austria
- Melika Foroutan as Sophie, Archduchess of Austria
- Johannes Nussbaum as Archduke Maximilian
- Almila Bagriacik as Countess Leontine von Apafi
- Jördis Triebel as Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria
In addition to them, we also expect Elisa Schlott, who plays Elisabeth’s sister, Duchess Helene in Bavaria to reprise her role in the second season. However, she is not confirmed to be back yet.
For more release date updates on The Empress season 2, stay tuned to Web News Observer!