With 47.21 million viewing hours in the first week, the Netflix series “The Empress” breaks a worldwide record: the makers can look forward to the best German-language series start of all time on the streaming platform. Even in the US, the new edition of the story about the Austrian Empress Sissi reached number 2 in the Netflix top 10 and the series is also popular in many other countries.
Of course, the question quickly arises whether it’s really over after six episodes or whether viewers can look forward to a second season of “The Empress”. A sequel has not yet been officially announcednevertheless, there is much to be said for further episodes.
The Austrian Empress Elisabeth, better known as Sissi, has probably been at home in most German-speaking households for many years. After all, the 1956 feature film “Sissi – The Young Empress” (including two sequels) is shown on television every Christmas and still has a large fan base. So it’s no wonder that the new Netflix edition from showrunner Katharina Eyssen (“Today I’m Blonde”) has become a real hit and that its success probably makes a second season.
So it is clear: there are still many stories to tell about Sissi. There is certainly enough historical material for a second season of “The Empress”. In addition, in the first six episodes of the Netflix production, we only guide the beginning of the relationship between the Empress and her husband Franz Joseph. The sixth episode of the first season ends with a cliffhanger that could perfectly be followed in a second season.
In the first season of “The Empress”, the Bavarian Duchess Elisabeth (Devrim Lingnau) marries Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant) and finds it difficult to adjust to her new life at court. The nature-loving young woman actually wants to lead an unconventional life, but has to get used to the strict rules of the Habsburg rule and at the same time fight her conservative mother-in-law.
Even if the creators of the first season of “The Empress” do not always stick to historical facts, it is possible to guess how it could go on with Sisi, Franz and Co. For example, the whole court is waiting for a male heir to the throne, who must give birth to the empress as soon as possible – who already came up with Sisi’s pregnancy at the end of season 1.
However, the real Elisabeth first had two daughters and was dealt a hard blow from fate. This phase of life alone should fill a few episodes of the series and offers enough potential for conflict and drama for more exciting stories to be retold.