The Chestnut Man Season 2 - Will It Ever Happen?

Netflix's "The Chestnut Man" is a perfect example of Nordic noir. This gritty Danish crime drama offers scary dolls, missing limbs, and gripping murder mysteries galore. The show is made all the more unnerving by the way it replaces the genre's usual gloomy colors with an almost inappropriately beautiful backdrop of bright fall hues. And then, of course, there's the central storyline, which is among the genre's most harrowing.

The six episodes of "The Chestnut Man" Season 1 introduce us to two Copenhagen cops: talented desk job wannabe Naia Thulin (Danica Curcic) and tormented Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard). They're paired to investigate what turns out to be a pretty complex serial killer case involving high-ranking politician Rosa Hartung (Iben Dorner), her missing daughter, and a mysterious killer whose cryptic crime scene signature is a tiny humanoid figure made from chestnuts. Many fans of great murder mysteries have already finished the show, and are wondering if there are more episodes in store. We have the answers. This is everything we know about the status of "The Chestnut Man" Season 2.

There is currently no information on when a potential Season 2 of "The Chestnut Man" might land on Netflix. In fact, there's very little word on whether a second season might ever be made. There's still reason to speculate, though. Nordic noir crime shows with strong female leads are having a major moment right now, and "The Chestnut Man" earned particularly sparkling reviews. Moreover, shows like this aren't too expensive to make. These are a lot of compelling reasons to make another season of the thrilling series — the question is, will Netflix listen? We don't yet know, but it's worth wondering.

Let's assume that "The Chestnut Man" Season 2 gets the green light. The production cycle of a police procedural tends to take a year, give or take. That means we wouldn't be seeing Season 2 of the series until 2024 at the earliest. However, Season 1 was based on the debut novel of Søren Sveistrup (also known for creating the Danish TV show "The Killing" and penning the script for 2016's "The Day Will Come"). At the time of this writing, it seems like "The Chestnut Man" is still Sveistrup's only book, so perhaps the lack of source material could prevent a Season 2 from moving forward.

With the Chestnut Man case well and truly solved, "The Chestnut Man" Season 2 will likely focus on a completely new investigation. Even if the show chooses to tread familiar ground and focus on a new case that's somehow connected to the Chestnut Man, chances are it'll still be different enough to keep things fresh. Something involving Linus Bekker (Elliott Crosset Howe), the unstable man falsely committed for some of Simon's crimes, seems especially possible.

Until news of new episodes and their possible premise arrives, there's no telling just where a sophomore season would take "The Chestnut Man." It's probably safe to say, though, that the show isn't all that likely to stray from the first season's highly effective serial mystery structure. It's also safe to guess that a new season would explore the nascent romance between Thulin and Hess.

Should "The Chestnut Man" Season 2 happen, it will likely shuffle the cast quite a bit. The titular case is pretty much solved, and it's hard to see how its survivors might reenter the fray. As such, expect a brand new case with brand new suspects — and brand new actors playing them.

In all likelihood, there will be returning faces as well. The police officers who investigated the Chestnut Man case will probably be the focal point of future seasons, for one thing. Danica Curcic and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard are far and away the most likely actors to return; we imagine future seasons will probably see Naia Thulin and Mark Hess assigned to find the next villain terrorizing Copenhagen.

However, the Chestnut Man himself is very unlikely to come back for "The Chestnut Man" Season 2. Simon Genz, aka Toke Vering, is a complex and terrifying villain, and David Dencik portrays him perfectly. However, the character doesn't survive Season 1. Because of her character's personal connection to the killer, Iben Dorner, who plays Rosa, might also leave the show behind.

"The Chestnut Man" was created by David Sandreuter, Dorte Warnøe Hagh, and Mikkel Serup. Serrup directed three episodes of Season 1, while Kasper Barfoed helmed the remaining three. Would Serrup and Barfoed return for a Season 2? It's distinctly possible, especially when it comes to Serrup — we imagine creating a TV series gives a person a unique attachment to it. Moreover, while Serrup has become involved in other projects since Season 1 debuted, he doesn't seem overburdened by them. Most of his time seems to have gone to directing "Kingmaker," a similarly thrilling series.

Barfoed is a murkier prospect. Since directing episodes of "The Chestnut Man," he's been slightly more busy than Serrup, balancing work on multiple productions like "Trom" and "The Nurse." Still, he's a definite possibility. Notably, he's kept to the world of gripping crime dramas — both "Trom" and "The Nurse" chronicle mayhem, cover-ups, and the investigators who try to unravel it all.

"The Chestnut Man" Season 1 is rated TV-MA, and any Season 2 that might arise will almost certainly earn the same label. TV-MA programs are pretty much the most hardcore stuff you can find on the small screen. Violence, sexuality, curse words, and disturbing themes can all be found on these shows — so, in short, the bread and butter of crime dramas. Nobody who watches a show like "The Chestnut Man" would have it any other way; this intensity is what makes murder mysteries so gripping.

Still, differences in content exist within the wider world of TV-MA shows. While Season 1 follows the trail of a serial killer, Season 2 could explore very different sorts of evil-doing. Fraud, stalking, embezzlement, and ideologically-motivated violence could take center stage here, as they have in other shows of this stripe. We'll just have to wait and see what kind of criminal catches Thulin and Hess' attention.

"The Chestnut Man" calls Netflix home, and likely always will. The Danish series premiered on that behemoth streamer and doesn't seem interested in going anywhere else. You can't find it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, or any other places streaming series tend to call home. Netflix is pretty much your only option.

However, there is one other way to engage with the series: You can read the book it's based on. Søren Sveistrup's "The Chestnut Man" hit the shelves in 2019 and quickly caught crime fans' attention. You can pick it up from Bookshop.org, Amazon, book retailers near you, or, of course, your local library.