When Apple launched its new streaming service earlier this month, it soon became clear that the coming-of-age drama Dickinson was to be the standout series on the platform. Now, showrunner Alena Smith has come forward with new details about the second season of the show and her approach to the character of Emily Dickinson.
[The following contains spoilers for season 1 of Dickinson.]
In a recent piece from The Hollywood Reporter, Smith explains some of the key character developments Emily (played by Hailee Steinfeld) experiences in season 1. One of the most striking moments is the early death of Emily’s initial love interest, Ben (Matt Lauria). In her interview, Smith cites that moment as the catalyst for Emily’s “maturing relationship to death,” which is a consistent theme throughout the first season.
However, Smith revealed that season 2 of the show would have a new theme as its focus: Emily’s newfound fame as a writer and her “deeply ambivalent relationship” with that fame. “Season two is really all about fame and the attention economy, which was a central concern in Emily Dickinson’s poems,” Smith states. “She wrote many, many poems about fame and about running from fame or rejecting fame.”
The historical events of the time period may also become a focus of the series, Smith reveals. Emily Dickinson lived through the American Civil War, and Smith states that the war will likely be explored later in season 3. “We get a bit closer to the Civil War [in season two]. We get right up to the brink of it,” she says. Smith has also talked about featuring other historical figures and authors in the show, and season 1 of Dickinson has already featured prominent characters such as Henry David Thoreau (John Mulaney) and Louisa May Alcott (Zosia Mamet).
Beyond the few sneak peeks Smith gives in her interview, not many details about season 2 of Dickinson have been revealed, nor has an official release date been announced. The first season of Dickinson is available now on Apple TV+, with a monthly subscription costing about $5/month.