When it comes to the best shows to binge on Netflix, Arcane is at the top of that list for me. By the end of the the first season, it felt like this show could go on forever. However, it was announced that Season 2 would be the final chapter of the series, much to fans' disappointment. Despite that, series co-creator and showrunner Christian Linke spoke to CinemaBlend and shared an explanation for the decision to end the show, and I totally understand now.
Prior to Arcane Season 2's premiere, I had the opportunity to chat with Christian Linke about why he and co-creater Alex Ye decided to end the series so swiftly. Linke was honest, saying that while they could have "stretched" the story, they really didn't want to be like those TV shows – you know, the ones that run long after their primes:
We always had a specific story in mind. Look, you could have stretched it, I'm sure. But for us, it was always just like we started with this in mind. I think there's also a personal angle to it as creatives. We've all seen the TV shows, where clearly the writers are running out of juice. How inspired can you stay about the same thing, for how long? It's been nine years for us, with these characters. I think there's a responsibility aspect to this, also, where we're like, this is what we had in mind.
I completely understand this logic, and it makes me respect the creative team's decision a lot more. As someone who is a massive fan of TV, I can think of plenty of shows that went on too long. There's The Walking Dead and its eleven seasons or the nine-season mockumentary series, The Office, which gradually fell apart as new characters were brought into the fold every year.
Arcane is a popular video game adaptation of League of Legends, and it exploded onto Netflix back in November 2021. It tells the tale of two sisters, Vi and Jinx, and their exploits in the advanced and unpredictable city of Piltover. The show was at the top of the streamer's charts for weeks and earned a Season 2 renewal very quickly. That's bittersweet in hindsight, since these new episodes will close out the show.
Still, the last thing I would want, not only as a fan but a TV lover in general, is to see LoL adaptation suffer the same fate as many of the shows that came before it. Christian Linke continued to say that it would just be "irresponsible" to keep stretching out the story just for the sake of the series to continue:
This is the story that we had in our heads that we want to tell. It's irresponsible to stretch this to a point where it feels like we can't even really do it justice. I think that was a big part of it. We don't want to overdo it.
As the Riot Games veteran previously mentioned, developing CGI series took several years. Still, if that's the story that they always had in mind, I'll sit back and take that in.
While I am bummed, it's not like this is truly the end. Christian Linke said in his announcement on the series' X (or Twitter) account that this is the end of Vi and Jinx's story, but there are several other LoL characters that he wishes to dive into next. As he put it, this show was "just the beginning” when it comes to small-screen storytelling for this franchise.
I'm eager to see what other characters this world could explore. But, until then, I'll relish the series we have now as much as I can and check out other shows like Arcane afterwards to soothe the hole in my heart.
Be sure to check out Arcane Season 2 when its first act of three episodes debuts on November 9. The following two acts will subsequently be released on November 16 and November 23, and all episodes can be streamed with a Netflix subscription.
