Controversial original Netflix series Insatiable, starring former Disney Channel star Debby Ryan, has been picked up for a second season despite many assumptions to the contrary. Those odds were stacked ahead of the show’s release, given that the main character begins the series while wearing a fat suit and entering battle with a homeless man over a candy bar. He punches her, and her jaw is wired shut for months, which results in a 70 pound weight loss. Although the show is a satire, that information alone was enough to spawn a Change.org petition (over “fat shaming”) with 235,000+ signatures in favor of the show’s cancellation.
However, Variety reports that the series, which follows Ryan’s character as she gains payback upon everyone who ever made her feel miserable, pulled in strong enough viewing numbers to continue raging. This could be, of course, due to the hate-watch factor, as well as Netflix pumping out release alerts to subscribers’ mobile devices to either counteract that backlash and/or capitalize upon the swirling controversy.
And while hate-watch numbers count, perhaps there’s also a critical-audience divide at work. While the show was seen as baffling and frustrating by critics — resulting in a cumulative 23% rating on Metacritic — this sharply contrasts against a 7.2 user score from the non-critics. In other words, the audience may have actually enjoyed this series. We’ll find out if that sentiment sticks whenever season two surfaces. See the Netflix Twitter announcement below.
#Insatiable has been renewed for Season 2 pic.twitter.com/Q40Khtix5s
— Netflix Queue (@netflixqueue) September 12, 2018
