Many were shocked on Friday when word broke that Brendan Dassey, the younger subject for Netflix’s Making A Murderer that was convicted for allegedly playing a part in the murder of Theresa Halbach, could go free after his charges were overturned. A federal judge overturned the conviction, citing Dassey’s age, the actions of his defense team, and the circumstances surrounding his confession, giving the state 90 days to retry Dassey or set him free.
Plenty of discussion following the ruling has shot to the situation with Steven Avery and what it means for his conviction, but there’s also the question on what this means for Making A Murderer season two. Netflix had announced the plans for a follow up series to their massive holiday hit, but now it would seem those plans have changed alongside Dassey’s status. Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos released a statement on the ruling soon after it broke according to Deadline, pledging to follow the story wherever it goes:
“Today there was a major development for the subjects in our story and this recent news shows the criminal justice system at work. As we have done for the past 10 years, we will continue to document the story as it unfolds, and follow it wherever it may lead.”
But then there’s a report over at TMZ that seems indicate a scramble within Netflix thanks to the ruling. According to TMZ, the ruling came as a surprise to the folks behind the show — despite the appeal being in the works for months — and no cameras managed to catch it for the show. It might seem like a dark twist on a situation involving death and the life of two possibly innocent men, but it’s the realities of a documentary series at the same time.
TMZ notes that the focus now will be on recreating the moment, but the existence of such a report just shows how surprising the ruling turned out to be for everybody involved. Deimos and Ricciardi spent years covering the subjects of their series and still apparently missed a major moment.