Trese Season 2 - Will It Ever Happen?

There have been plenty of movies and TV shows about humans sharing this plane of existence with monsters, but few of them get as gory as Netflix's "Trese." The anime-inspired show follows Alexandra Trese and her allies as they investigate a series of supernatural crimes around Manila. While the incidents appear to be unrelated initially, she soon uncovers a dastardly plot binding them all together. If she's not careful, then it may just spell the end of all mortal life.

Everything turns out all right by the end of Season 1, but it's clear there are plenty more adventures to be had. Fans have been waiting for word of a potential sequel since the first season was released on Netflix in 2021, gaining a legion of followers in the process. Unfortunately, there's been little news on Season 2 since then. Does that mean that it isn't happening? Not necessarily. In the event a second season materializes, here's what to expect from it.

The ending of "Trese" Season 1 was a satisfying one, but it left many viewers asking the same question — will there be a "Trese" Season 2? When director Jay Oliva was asked about this not long after the show premiered, he seemed pretty confident that "Trese" would go on for several seasons, telling The Philippine Star: "Netflix told me that it's reliant on the Philippine market. The support the Philippines has given us is overwhelming. I guarantee you if the ratings continue, I don't see why we would not get multiple seasons after this."

So, why hasn't Season 2 been given the greenlight yet? Fans have been discussing this at length on Reddit, and the general consensus is that the show didn't pull in enough viewers for Netflix to move forward with a second season. "Probably didn't get enough global traction to warrant an S2," said u/Maskarot, while u/jchrist98 added, "Everyone forgot about it in a month." Does this mean we will never see a second season of "Trese" on Netflix?

Well, animated shows like "Trese" take a long time to make, so there's always the chance that something is going on behind closed doors. Hopes were raised in June 2023 when producer Tanya Yuson took to Facebook to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the show and seemingly teased another season at the same time. "Thank you for keeping the faith and I just want you guys to know that this journey is far from over," she wrote.

The part of Alexandra Trese in the Filipino version is voiced by Filipino-American actor Liza Soberano, who was a total stranger to voice acting going into the project. However, once she found out that she was going to be playing the same character as Shay Mitchell (who stars as Trese in the English version), she didn't hesitate to sign up. Soberano and Mitchell (who is Filipino-Canadian) were soon exchanging messages on Instagram. Have they privately been discussing Season 2? That's impossible to say, but we do know that they both enjoyed the experience and are keen to do it again.

Speaking to Philstar Global, Soberano said that she fell in love with the character and the story. "Based on what I saw when I dubbed, I wanted more," she said. "I was craving for more! I was like, 'Oh, this is it? This is the end?' I didn't want it to end. So, that says a lot about the story. It's really captivating and it immerses you into that world." She also said that she would be open to playing the character in live-action if the opportunity ever arose.

Mitchell was equally enthusiastic about her experience of making "Trese" when she sat down for an interview with BuzzFeed, revealing that she really enjoys voice acting. "I think it's the perfect job — you're literally showing up in your pajamas and going into a sound booth to record, and it's so fun," she said. The five-time Teen Choice Award nominee added that "Trese" was particularly enjoyable because of the "great snacks" they provided and that she "would love to do it again."

"Trese" is based on the Filipino comic of the same name by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, who were inspired by Mamoru Oshii's anime classic "Ghost in the Shell" among other things. They were both thrilled to learn that their work was going to be adapted for the screen. "To be able to share our stories and love of Philippine myth and folklore to the world is a dream come true," Tan told GMA News Online when the adaptation was first announced back in 2018.

The first season of the Netflix show drew from three "Trese" comics in particular: "Murder at Balete Drive," "Unreported Murders," and "Mass Murders." These are the first three installments in the series, so it made sense to start here. However, Season 1 didn't adapt these comics in their entirety — each issue is made up of several cases, which are essentially short stories. The first three issues contain 13 different cases in total, so the creators of the show could base Season 2 on the cases they overlooked for Season 1.

Alternatively, the creators could move on to the next four issues (there are seven in total) and start mining them for cases, instead. There are a total of 17 cases covered in "Last Seen After Midnight," "Midnight Tribunal, "High Tide at Midnight," and "Shadow Witness," so there are plenty of potential storylines to choose from. All we really know at this stage is that Season 2 will bring other Asian mythologies into the mix if it goes ahead — the Season 1 post-credits scene features a jiangshi, a vampire-like creature from Chinese folklore. She utters the word "Trese," indicating that she's after the titular character.

Judging by the comments that they've made, it's safe to say that Shay Mitchell and Liza Soberano would be open to reprising the role of Alexandra Trese in their respective versions should Season 2 get the green light. The character is voiced by Ryoko Shiraishi in the Japanese version, and while she hasn't spoken about "Trese" in the same way that her counterparts have, she's still very active in the industry, having recently voiced characters in "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" and "My Hero Academia." As such, it's safe to assume that she would also come back for "Trese" Season 2.

Other possible returning cast members from the English language version include Griffin Puatu, who provides the voices for Trese's twin bodyguards, Jon Jon Briones as Hank, Carlos Alazraqui as Anton Trese, Nicole Scherzinger as Miranda Trese, and Manny Jacinto as Maliksi. Of course, being such a violent series, numerous characters meet their ends in Season 1 and probably won't be back. This is the case with Captain Guerrero (Matt Yang King), who dies helping Alexandra defeat Datu Talagbusao (Steve Blum). Of course, both characters could theoretically return — flashbacks played a significant role in Season 1, and, when dealing with supernatural forces, there are always ways to bring people back.