Barring Any Late Fees, Can We Expect a Season 2 of Netflix's Comedy Series 'Blockbuster'?

The Buggles, an English New Wave band, once sang that "video killed the radio star," which was a scathing indictment against MTV and what it did to radio and its personalities. By the time Netflix was founded in 1997, Blockbuster had already been in business for over a decade. In a matter of years, Netflix surpassed the popular video rental store as brick-and-mortar locations all around the country closed, except for one.

The last Blockbuster is in Bend, Ore. and it is there that Netflix set their comedy series Blockbuster, which focuses on the struggling employees of the only surviving store in the world. It stars powerhouses like Randall Park (Fresh off the Boat) and Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and is currently available to stream (oh the irony). Is it too early to look for a second season? Here's what we know about Season 2 of Blockbuster. Hopefully, the late fees won't stop this from happening!

The series dropped on Netflix on Nov. 3, so it's a bit too early to know anything about a second season. Typically it can take the streaming service a couple of months to make a decision about renewing a show. For example, Season 1 of Mindy Kaling's comedy series Never Have I Ever premiered on Netflix on April 27, 2020. The official green light for its renewal was announced on July 1, 2020.

Determining what makes a show viable for more seasons is somewhat complicated when it comes to streaming services. Until recently, viewers didn't have access to ratings or viewership, so they couldn't get a sense of how popular something was.

Because streaming allows folks to watch a show or movie whenever they can, it stands to reason that streaming services have to wait a significant amount of time to get a feel for how something did. In theory, we'll know about Season 2 of Blockbuster sometime around January 2023. In the meantime, why not check out the series about rentals that you don't have to rent?

Many think of Netflix as this cruel behemoth that swooped in and destroyed the unsuspecting Blockbuster, but that simply wasn't the case. It was a bit more complicated than that, and as a reminder, Blockbuster put mom-and-pop video rental stores out of business when they burst onto the scene. The depressing march of capitalism is relentless and unforgiving.

The premiere of Netflix's Blockbuster has inspired some people on social media to share their experiences with Blockbuster, and many of them are not very pleasant. Henry Gilbert, producer and cohost of the Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts, once worked at the blue and yellow store, and he had much to say about his time there.

"Ahead of this new streaming show release, I would like to say you owe zero warm nostalgia to Blockbuster Video," Henry tweeted. " I worked there and it was a horrible place, the monster that killed every local rental place it could, a hideous beast that got devoured by a younger monster." Henry, tell us how you really feel! No really, tell us.

"Don’t mourn the old Blockbuster in your neighborhood that closed years ago. Cry for the amazing independent rental store with cool obscurities you deprived by the horrific business practices of Blockbuster that killed all its pre-Netflix competitors," wrote Henry. The replies are filled with similar sentiments though most agree the Blockbuster show is probably not going to destroy your soul.

Season 1 of Blockbuster is currently available to stream on Netflix.