It can always be difficult to figure out what Netflix actually thinks about the huge torrents of new original content it releases every week, often touting one show aggressively for a few minutes before moving on to the next. (The company’s infamous secrecy about any data that doesn’t directly prop up whatever show it’s trying to push at any given moment doesn’t help, despite pushes forward by third-party streaming ratings companies in recent years.) Still, if there’s one sign that a Netflix show is actually doing well, it’s when the streamer decides to swiftly throw more money at it—which the company has now done in the case of animated series Castlevania: Nocturne, which has been granted a second-season renewal just a week after its first season’s full release.
- Off
- English
Nocturne’s success isn’t entirely surprising; Netflix has always been pretty hot on its Castlevania animated shows, which adapt the long-running Dracula-killing video game franchise to an anime-adjacent style. The latest series, set in the midst of the French Revolution, has earned solid praise for its blend of history—this is, weirdly, one of the only TV shows in recent memory to talk in any detail about the concurrent revolution that led to the founding of Haiti—as well as, y’know, all the sexy, bloody vampire stuff. The series stars Edward Bluemel as rookie vampire hunter Richter Belmont, and includes performances from Franka Potente, Dark Winds star Zach McClarnon, Thuso Mbedu, Pixie Davies, and Game Of Thrones alums Iain Glen and Richard Dormer.
Series showrunners Clive Bradley and Kevin Kolde issued a note of thanks to the show’s fans this weekend, saying (per Variety), “Thanks to all of the Castlevania fans old and new for the amazing response and support!We are excited to be able to bring you more Castlevania: Nocturne and the next chapter in the rise of Richter Belmont.”