Netflix has ordered a second season of their hit documentary series,Making a Murderer, from creators Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos. Ricciardi and Demos producedand directed the original documentary over the course of ten years, chronicling thebizarre storyof Steven Avery of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.
Steven Avery spent his adult life in prison for a sexual assaulthe didn't commit until finally being released in 2003 after DNA evidence exonerated him. But in 2005, he was arrested for murder -- along with his nephew Brendan Dassey. Making A Murdererdocumentsthe caseitself,theirfamilies, and most importantly,the trial in which Avery and his lawyers argued that hewas framed by the police.
Upon release,Making A Murderer was immediately well-received. Ricciardi and Demoswere highly sought-after as soon as the series premiered, even talking with George Clooney about producinga TV series together. It should come as no surprise that Netflix wants more of them and their work.
TheMaking A Murdererboom:
Making A Murderer was not Netflix's firstbig hit, but it mayhave been the biggest surprise. A ten-part "true crime" documentary could have easily slipped under the radar of pop culture, butMaking A Murderer became one of the most discussed and acclaimed series in recent memory.
Part of the broad appeal ofMaking A Murderercomes in the form of Avery's defense lawyers, Dean Strang and Jerome Buting, making a very compelling case that he was framed -- as do Demos and Ricciardi withtheir masterful direction.
The documentary helped gain enormouspublic support for Avery;grassroots petitionsfor him to be pardoned have accumulated hundreds of thousands of signatures.
WhereMaking A Murdererleft off:
[SPOILERS]
Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey were convicted of the murder of Theresa Halbach, and are currently serving life sentences, but both are actively involved in legal battles toappeal their cases.The second season of the series is expected to chronicle this complicated, ugly appeals process.Steven Avery's new lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, filed an appeal of his case in January 2016, working with the Midwest Innocence Project to prove thatSteven was framed.
Zellner isconfirmed to be featured in the upcoming season.Brendan Dassey also has a new legal team working to overturn Brendan's conviction on grounds that the investigation and trial were conducted improperly. Brendan's appeal hinges on the claimthat he was manipulated and bullied into a false confession.
The future ofMaking A Murderer:
The complicated, ugly appeals processes will be the focusof the second season ofMaking A Murderer. The series will presumably alsogive viewers an update onthe lives of the Avery/Dassey families as well as the Manitowoc County community as a whole.No premiere date has been announced, but patience is a virtue. The original documentary was a ten year process, and Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demoshave made clear the importance ofboth attention to detail and respect for their subjects. But whenMaking A Murdererreturns, there is no question that it will be well worth the wait.
