Spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Neon, “The Reality,” lie ahead.
This month marked the release of Neon, the latest offering from Netflix’s 2023 TV schedule. The reggaeton-centric comedy has received positive reviews from critics, as fans continue to stream the show. Its inaugural eight-episode season wraps up quite nicely but, of course, some may already be wondering if a second one might be in the cards. Luckily, CinemaBlend was able to get some details on that front, as director Oz Rodriguez provided an update. He also revealed the major guest star he’s already hoping to land for a theoretical second season.
It must be said up front that Hollywood has been experiencing a turbulent time as of late due to labor disputes. The SAG-AFTRA is still impacting productions as we speak. The WGA writers strike also delayed projects, but that situation has since been resolved. Oz Rodriguez mentioned the matter when he chatted with me over Zoom. While an official renewal has yet to be formally announced by Netflix, it definitely seems Rodriguez and his collaborators already have ideas:
I don't think any of the writing has officially started, especially with all the stuff that we just went through. But I think definitely there is a big collection of just like, random ideas that everybody had as we were shooting [Season 1] and just talking and like, ‘Oh, it’d be fun if Santi does this next time.’ Or like, you know, ‘What, if Ness does this?’ I think there's a lot of things that the writers can go in and collect some of the stuff and be like, ‘Well, this is too crazy, but this is something.’ But yeah, I think it's also like exploring the reggaeton world and you know, hopefully, there's a Season 2 [with] even more cameos, and just as reggaeton becomes even more and more global.
So if anything, a foundation of sorts has been laid and, from a narrative perspective, the series could certainly move in some interesting directions. The first season ended with the lead character – aspiring Reggaeton artist Santi – upstaging his faux girlfriend, Isa, at her New Years’ bash. The performer did so in order to reclaim a song he wrote and to thoroughly make amends with his friends/business partners – Ness and Felix. By the end of the episode, it appeared that Santi might be blacklisted. However, the gang’s hopes were reignited after the legendary Daddy Yankee, who’d heard one of Santi’s tracks, called the young singer in the hopes of collaborating.
Should Neon move forward with Season 2, it’s likely Netflix subscription holders will see Santi and his pals move deeper into the music industry. They could, in the process, meet up with some familiar faces like Jordana Brewster’s “surprising” Gina as well as more real-life celebrities. On that note, I couldn’t help but ask Oz Rodriguez about his dream guest star for the show, and he playfully alluded to a Puerto Rican Grammy winner:
I mean, I think you know who, you know? Starts with a B, and his other name starts with a B. So that'd be nice, but we'll see [laughs]. We'll see what happens in the future.
In case you can’t guess the star being referenced, it’s Bad Bunny, who’s simply been crushing it in the music industry over the past several years. The star – whose birth name is Benito Ocasio – has also dipped his toes into the acting sphere as of late. He has feature films like Bullet Train and Cassandro under his belt and also just hosted a star-studded episode of SNL. So he’d fit right in with the comedic vibes of this freshman comedy.
There’s no telling when a definitive answer on Neon’s fate might arrive. All that can probably be said right now is that if fans truly want the show to continue, then they’ll want to stream it and get others to do the same. On that note, you can stream the first season of Neon now, and check out the 2023 TV schedule for other viable options.
