In the realm of period drama, Netflix’s latest Indonesian drama has been making waves on social media. Cigarette Girl is undoubtedly one of the most loved non-English series on the streaming giant. Its remarkable narration has captivated the audience, weaving tales of societal norms, loss, and love. While the show just debuted, the audiences are clamoring for Cigarette Girl Season 2. Is it on the cards? Well, we have pleasant news for the series fans. The series co-directors have spilled the beans on the chances of the series return. So, without wasting time, let’s head to see what the future holds for us.
Based on Ratih Kumala’s novel of the same name, Cigarette Girl is set in the 60s and early 2000s. The series is closely intertwined with Indonesia’s history with the tobacco industry and a forbidden love. It began in the present when Raja asked his son Lebas to find his long-lost lover, Jeng Yah. While he wished to see and reunite with her, Lebas discovered his father’s lost lover was Rukayah’s sister, making the love story more twisted and complex. As the story unfolds, Lebas learns more about Raja’s untold love story and lover’s past.
Is Cigarette Girl Season 2 Officially Renewed?
At the time of writing, Netflix hasn’t yet made any announcement regarding Cigarette Girl Season 2. The Indonesian series debuted earlier in November 2023 and soon created a buzz around the streaming platform. While the director hadn’t yet expected the series to receive such massive acclaim, the period drama opened the door for the Indonesian industry. Now things are pretty different, hinting the series could return for another season. This is because it did incredibly well in terms of reception.
It gained 8.3 stars out of 10 on IMDb. However, the series failed to secure a spot in the 100 best streaming list. As per the reports, the drama secured the 804th position on the most-watched list on IMDb. Thus, it slims down the chance of Cigarette Girl Season 2. However, it has been appreciated by the critics quite well. It earned 100 percent perfect viewership on Rotten Tomatoes. So, there’s a chance that Netflix can return with another season. Further, the streaming giant hasn’t yet canceled the series, so it may announce the news in the series’ favor.
Not A Limited Series!
One of the significant reasons that made fans believe that Cigarette Girl Season 2 could be on the horizon is that the series isn’t billed as a limited series. Netflix is currently releasing series that are billed as miniseries, hindering the chances of their return. However, this is different with Cigarette Girl. So, there’s a chance for the next season. Further, the series co-directors Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah told Deadline that they have only covered the romantic journey of the protagonist. However, there is room to explore in the next outing.
Since the series is an adaptation of Ratih Kumala’s novel of the same name, plenty of storylines are left to explore. Ifa said that from the beginning, he wanted to make it a compelling love story and a historical drama. Although the novel has some tragic elements, they decided to eliminate them instead of exploring those parts. But since they have other story aspects left to explore, they could return with Cigarette Girl Season 2. The story also focuses on three eras, hinting that they can return to the picturesque canvas to produce more such compelling stories.
Netflix May Return With Cigarette Girl Season 2
As we know, the renewal decision is generally based on the viewership of the series and how well it performed on the streaming platform. Since the series has made it to the most-watched list and received great reception from the audience as well as critics, it is a no-brainer that it won’t return. Besides this, the Indonesia drama remained in the Global Top 10 on Netflix for almost two weeks. It topped the viewership chart in nine countries. These include Argentina, Chile, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Romania, Mexico, Venezuela, and Spain.
While it remained only a couple of weeks in the top ten, the period drama stayed for almost seven weeks in Netflix’s top ten in Indonesia and five weeks in Malaysia. Thus, the series may return for Cigarette Girl Season 2, considering the incredible viewership chart. Besides this, in the first week of its debut, the series was viewed for 8,600,000 hours and gained almost 1,600,000 views. Sadly, the viewership dropped a bit in the next week. Despite that, there’s a chance for its return.
Cigarette Girl Season 2: What Could Happen?
The first season focused on Dasiyah “Jeng Yah,” who aims to handle her father’s cigarette business. However, because of the societal gender norms, things turn dark for her. While she fights to make her own name in the world, she meets the love of her life. As the drama unfolds, it takes the viewers to 2001, when Lebas learns about Raja, Rukayah, and Dasiyah’s story. It leads her to travel back in time to explore Dasiyah and Raja’s connection. But since the show wrapped up its story arc, there’s a slim chance that Netflix will return with Cigarette Girl Season 2.
But there’s also a possibility that the show will show the darker arc that the directors haven’t explored yet. It may explore Lebas’s and Arum’s lives. While the pilot season has delved into Dasiyah’s story, Cigarette Girl Season 2 could focus on Raja’s life. This is because, in the end, Lebas joins Arum at the museum to gather more details about his father. It will play a potential plot to narrate the misadventure of Raja in the second outing.
Cigarette Girl Season 2: Cast Details
Since Dasiyah “Jeng Yah” died in the first season, there’s a slim chance of Dian Sastrowardoyo’s return. However, if Cigarette Girl Season 2 explores Raja’s (Ario Bayu) story, it may bring Dian in a flashback. Arya Soloka as Lebas can also return with Putri Marino as Arum. Nungki Kusumastuti as Rukayah can also return with Tutie Kirana as Purwanti and Pritt Timothy as Soeraja. There’s a chance that a few more cast members can join the series.
Cigarette Girl Season 2: Release Date
As mentioned above, Netflix hasn’t yet announced the next season of the period drama. Thus, it remains unclear when Cigarette Girl Season 2 will be released. However, if the series gets the green light, it will take almost six months to wrap up production. Considering the timeline, it appears it won’t return until 2024. This is all for now. Stay tuned. TechRadar247 will keep you updated.