The OAmight have been the most mysterious and ambitious series ever seen on Netflix. But just as the genre-defying show added a new twist with a mindblowing cliffhanger,Netflix canceledThe OA.The OAfollowed the formerly blind Prairie Johnson, who is telling her incredible story to a group of misfits in a nearby abandoned building after she arrives home, able to see andreferring to herself as The OA, after she had been missing for seven years.
In the three years between seasons 1 and 2,The OAgained a passionate fanbase and critical acclaim for its complex and moving story, with season 1’s 76%Rotten Tomatoesrating being beaten by season 2’s 92%. However, whenNetflix addressedThe OA’s cancelation, executives implied thatThe OAhad still not been attracting enough viewers to justify its high budget. Though fans staged protests and key actors expressed their sadness at the cancelation,The OAwas not renewed, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger unlike any other on TV.
The OA Season 2’s Ending Introduced The Real World As A New Dimension
The Real World Dimension In The OA Might Not Be As Real As It Seemed
ThroughoutThe OA, Prairie insisted that she could cross between dimensions by having Near-Death Experiences, and could teach other people to do the same thing.The OAhad been ambiguous over how much of Prairie’s story was real. However,the season 2 finale finally revealed the truthin the most unexpected (and mindblowing) way. When Karim sees a window into what appears to be the real world, the characters are revealed to be on a TV set, with the actors called by their own names. This introduced the real world as another dimension inThe OA’s multiverse.
Though it appeared that the viewer was now watchingThe OAbeing filmed in the real world, the"real world" dimension might not be what it seemed, asThe OAshowed significant differences in the “real world.” Season 2 ofThe OAis set in California, yet the dimension actors appear to be in the UK. The real-life Jason Isaacs (who plays Hap) isn’t married to actress Brit Marling, and yet they are married in this dimension.The OAfinale left many questions, with the nature of this new dimension being one of them.
Jason Isaacs Was Shocked By The OA’s Proposed Season Three Plot
After the mind-bending twist at the end of season 2, a series as unusual asThe OAcould have gone anywhere. Though creators Zeb Batmanglij and Brit Marling (who also stars as Prairie) knew what would happen next, and had madea five-season plan to tellThe OA’s story,they were only given two. AsMarling still hopes thatThe OAcould continue, the exact plot details for season 3 have been kept under wraps, but it has been confirmed that the cliffhanger at the end of season 2 was going to be resolved.
The OA seasons 1 and 2
1
2016
8
76%
79%
2
2019
92%
89%
Jason Isaacs knew what was planned forThe OA season 3,as he revealed toCollider, saying that when Marling and Batmanglij told him about season 2’s meta cliffhanger, he asked what was going to happen afterward. Isaacs said “They sat me down and told me, and 15 minutes later, my jaw was hanging open. I just couldn’t wait to get started making it.” Isaacs has describedThe OAas one of his favorite series he’s ever done, and confirmed that if there were ever a chance to finishThe OA’s story, he would return in a heartbeat.
The OA’s Cancelation Is Still One Of Netflix’s Most Tragic
Netflix Offered The Creators An OA Movie, But They Turned It Down
The OA’s other central charactersprovided some grounding for the existential story and had plot arcs of their own. They were relatable, with real-world problems, and several ofThe OA’scharacters were ahead of their time. Betty Broderick-Allen (BBA) becomes a powerful protector: a role rarely afforded to older female actors even now. Buck and his actor, Ian Alexander, are both trans, which was an extremely rare casting choice in 2016. Ending the show without giving a resolution to their stories as well as Prairie’s makesThe OA’s cancelation more tragic than most canceled Netflix series.
The OA: 10 Quotes From The Show That Still Make Us Think
The OA was incredibly unique in narrative and concept and it’s still on our minds. Here are 10 quotes that are still making us think.
A few years afterThe OAwas canceled,Netflix offered Marling and Batmanglij anOAmovieto wrap up the plot, but they declined. Both creators would rather condense their remaining three seasons into one final season, concludingThe OAin a more satisfying way than a movie would allow.The OAis such a complex and many-layered series, even without the meta twist at the end of season 2, thata movie would surely not doThe OAjustice. There has been no further word onThe OA, and it seems that its mindblowing cliffhanger will never be resolved.
The OA
Cast
The OA is a mystery drama series that follows Prairie Johnson, who returns to her hometown after being missing for seven years with her sight mysteriously restored. As her baffling reappearance raises questions, she refrains from discussing her ordeal with authorities or family, sparking intrigue and speculation.
