Netflix debuted an ambitious new comedy earlier this year with Friends From College, which brought together a stellar cast of comic actors to play a group of Harvard grads whose relationships with each other are even more complicated as they face their 40s as they were back in their 20s. The show premiered back on July 14, and viewers have been waiting ever since for news of its future. Now, Netflix has a big announcement: Friends From College will indeed be back for a second season.
Friends From College stars Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, Annie Parisse, Nat Faxon, Fred Savage, and Jae Suh Park as the titular friends. The show got off to a decent start, although it is probably an acquired taste, given the particular flaws of the group. While it earned itself a place on the list of 10 worst Netflix originals according to Rotten Tomatoes, it clearly was successful enough that the streaming service is willing to order a second season, which will run for eight episodes.
We may never know for sure just how successful Friends From College has been in its first month of availability. Netflix doesn't share its ratings or viewership numbers publicly, and we can only guess at how many people are watching. It's possible that the big names drew a sizable crowd to check the series out. Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, and Fred Savage in particular are proven comedic talents, and their combined experiences on the small screen were probably quite attractive to people looking for a fresh new summer show.
The announcement of the renewal should come as good news for any folks who were hooked on Friends From College Season 1. Netflix cancelled some fairly high-profile shows in recent weeks, and CEO Reed Hastings has said that more cancellations of original series need to happen. Few originals felt entirely safe from getting the axe, although those connected to Marvel probably weren't in any danger. The cast of Friends From College may be a talented group of actors, but there was no guarantee that they'd get a second season. The renewal for the same amount of episodes as Season 1 points to Netflix approving of what it got from Friends From College's first outing.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in renewal and cancellation news. If you haven't checked it out yet, all eight episodes of Friends From College are available streaming on Netflix now. Our 2017 Netflix guide has all the other dates you could possibly need for streaming. If broadcast television is more your style, our fall TV premiere schedule can help you plan what to watch in the coming weeks. Don't forget to swing by our full list of the 10 worst Netflix originals according to Rotten Tomatoes to see which other shows made the cut.
