Hulu's recent mini-series Little Fires Everywhere did an amazing job of adapting the New York Times Bestseller by Celeste Ng for the small screen, garnering a lot of critical praise and positive fan reception for its themes and Emmy-worthy performances.
Showrunner, Liz Tigelaar, has stated that while no plans are currently in the works, she would love to do a season 2 of the show. Many fans of the show have shared this opinion, while others believe the show told the story it needed to tell and doesn't need a season 2. There is a case that can be made for both, so here are 5 reasons Little Fires Everywhere needs a season 2 & 5 why it doesn't.
Need - Izzy
In a lot of ways, Izzy could be considered the main character of the series, so it was especially difficult to watch her breakdown following her discovery that Mia and Pearl had left her and Shaker behind. The season ends with Izzy on a bus, heading to an unknown location. We get a scene teasing her eventually catching up with Mia and Pearl, a moment that we quickly find out was only a dream.
In the book, Izzy travels to Pittsburg in order to look for Mia's parents' house, so we can only assume that she has a similar intention at the end of the series finale. Season 2 could explore what happens if Izzy does end up finding Pearl and Mia and how they respond, as well as focus on Elena, who is likely still trying to find her runaway daughter.
Doesn't Need - Only One Book
As is sometimes the case with shows and movies based on books, some attempt to continue the story in a new direction when the source material they were drawing from eventually runs out. Sometimes it works for the better but other times, without the blueprint of the original material, the story falls flat. Although it falls into a completely different genre, Game of Thrones.
It would be an extremely large hurdle for the writers to cross if they were to choose to do a season 2 since there was only one book to draw from. The difficulty of the task might be enough reason to leave the series alone, even if Celeste Ng was on board.
Need - Mia's Parents
After Mia leaves the decision of where they travel to next up to her daughter, Pearl suggests they go to Mia's childhood home so she can meet her grandparents. The episode sees them enter the house, but the audience doesn't see the interaction between the four that follows. The show made it clear that Mia's parents are extremely critical of their daughter's decision to be a surrogate, even going as far as keeping her from going to her brother's funeral because of her pregnancy.
A second season would provide a perfect opportunity to see how they would react to finally meeting their granddaughter and explore if this would change their opinion on Mia's choice.
Doesn't - Organic Storytelling
One of the main elements of the series is the core conflict that occurs between Mia and Elena who, by the end of the finale, end up in completely different places.
Continuing the show without that dynamic would have a negative impact, but one concern that would come with season 2 is how to make them reunite in a way that doesn't feel forced. This is a concern that Liz Tigelaar herself expressed during an interview, stating that she was unsure of how Elena and Mia could ever come together in an "organic way" if they were to proceed with a season 2.
Need - The Ryans
Despite being only shown a handful of times, Joseph and Madeleine Ryan have a looming presence over the show. Joseph specifically is introduced to us as a mysterious figure that haunts Mia's dreams and it isn't until later in the season that we discover the truth about him and his wife.
If the show were to get a season 2, it would be a great opportunity to bring them back into the equation in a major way, possibly with Mia finding herself in the same type of situation Bebe was in this season, with the Ryans trying to fight for their daughter that was taken from them.
Doesn't - Don't Ruin it
Everything about the show's finale episode worked. The conflict and drama all built up in a satisfying way, which felt like the perfect conclusion to the story the show had been trying to tell. With such a perfect ending, it begs the question if giving it another season is worth the risk.
Time and time again, shows have gone on for too long, sometimes blowing past satisfying endings in order to squeeze one or two more stories out of the material. By giving a second season to a show that already ended perfectly in the eyes of many, it may end up resulting in a lackluster ending.
Need - Bebe
Despite all the signs, the season ends with Linda winning the case and she gets to keep her daughter instead of being forced to return her to Bebe. Months of her living in fear of her child being taken away from her had seemingly come to a close. However, her fears were realized in the show's final moments when, after noticing that she wasn't hearing that her daughter on the baby monitor, Linda gets up to discover that Bebe had snuck in and stolen May Ling while they were asleep.
A hypothetical season 2 could be dedicated to seeing Linda try to find Bebe and her daughter, assuming that Bebe is likely on the run or in hiding out of fear of having to give her daughter up again.
Doesn't - Something New
The writers did a tremendous job adapting Celeste Ng's novel so, instead of a season 2, it would be interesting to see them return to adapt the author's second bestseller, "Everything I Never Told You." The story follows a mixed-race Chinese-American family whose middle child, Lydia, is found drowned in a lake.
Although the book is slated to receive a movie adaption with Julia Roberts attached to play the characters of Marilyn, this wouldn't be the first time a film project has changed mediums and became a series, especially in the era of prestige television.
Need - The Richardsons
The finale episode did a great job of wrapping up the series, but it also left the audience with a lot of questions in regards to the Richardson clan and how they will adjust going forward. Where will they live now that their home is gone? Will Elena and Bill stay together in spite of recent discoveries? And, most importantly, will Elena change?
All of these questions have the potential to be explored in a second season and add extra depth to the characters we met in season 1.
Doesn't - Better Left To Interpretation
As discussed, the ending of the show's first season left a lot of plot threads hanging in the air, and while it does leave fans with a lot of unanswered questions, one could argue that this is not necessarily a bad thing.
Sometimes the ideas the audience comes up with themselves can be better than finding out a disappointing ending. For example, those who want Izzy to eventually find and reunite with Mia could end up disappointed if the second season results in her having to go back with her family. However, with the way the first season ended, they are free to choose to believe that she does meet back with Mia since the show itself never gives any evidence to the opposite.