Entertainment

Don't Worry About That Definitive 'GLOW' Ending

by Victoria McNally
Netflix

GLOW, Netflix’s new series about a group of badass women who learn to wrestle for an ‘80s television series, has already gained a huge following since it first premiered on June 23. But some fans are concerned by the show’s ending, which felt surprisingly finite in the same way that limited series like Big Little Lies or The Night Manager did when they ended. Was GLOW intended to be a mini-series, too, or is it destined for another season — or perhaps even several?

Good news, newfound women’s wrestling fans: there’s no evidence to suggest that GLOW was only intended to run for one season. In fact, the series has plenty of stories it can still tell; because the final episode ended just as the show-within-a-show was starting, there’s a lot more ground for creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch to cover. As recounted in the 2012 documentary GLOW: The Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling (which is also available on Netflix, and I highly recommend that you check it out!), the original show that GLOW is based on ran for four seasons and was practically a household name at the height of its popularity. The real-life women also lived their day-to-day lives as their wrestling personas, which would definitely make for interesting TV in another season of the Netflix series.

It also seems like the actors involved with the Netflix production are more than willing to ponder what future seasons of the show might entail. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Betty Gilpin, who plays Debbie on the show, talked about how much she wants to return to the world of GLOW.

“We all talk about how much we miss wrestling. I cannot wait to get back in the ring,” she admitted, adding that she’d also like to explore how Debbie will handle herself in a second season. "She’s used to being the youngest, prettiest, most successful person in the room [and] sees that now all of those things are starting to fade. So, what happens to someone whose identity is based on things that fade? What happens to them as they age?"

Alison Brie, who plays Ruth, also told THR something similar about what she wants from a second season of GLOW: specifically, more show-within-a-show antics. “I would look forward to more of the glitz and glam of shooting actual GLOW episodes and not only doing the wrestling side of GLOW, but hopefully getting to do some of their sketches,” she said. Yes, that’s right: the OG GLOW had sketches. And raps, just like the one Rhonda makes up in the Netflix series!

However, while renewing this series seems like a no-brainer, it’s not a done deal just yet — especially considering that the streaming service recently cancelled its other new female-centric comedy, Girlboss. When Brie and Marc Maron recently visited Entertainment Weekly for their morning radio show on Sirius XM, they admitted they can’t be sure that a second season is imminent. “We don’t know,” Brie reveals. “We really don’t know. I think we won’t know until… everybody gets a chance to see it.”

But even if GLOW was supposed to only run for one season, that wouldn't have necessarily set its fate in stone. Remember how I brought up The Night Manager as examples of another mini series? The Independent reported in March that a second season of The Night Manager is currently in development. If a series connects with its target audience, there’s always opportunity for it to return — and GLOW connected like a wrestler connects with the mat. I think the odds are good that Netflix won't squander an opportunity for more of this awesome show.