Netflix's Maniac: What Does The Ending Really Mean?

1. There (Probably) Won't Be A Season 2

Maniac loosely ties up its story, with Annie and Owen headed to Salt Lake City, Mantleray and Fujita off to Newfoundland - even passing each other on the road - and the drug trials over, but it's open-ended enough that there could quite easily be a Season 2.

It's rather common for so-called 'limited' series to have another run ordered due to success, after all, and since we don't know the next chapter of Owen and Annie's story, there's scope for more episodes, even if there isn't a necessity for it.

Thankfully, despite Season 1's quality, neither Cary Fukunaga nor Patrick Somerville have expressed much interest in doing a second season. Somerville, when asked by THR about the possibility, said: "No. This was always planned as a limited series, and I think that's another reason why we had the freedom to have a more hopeful ending."

Speaking to Thrillist, however, he did add: "The world has a lot to it. I think the world is really interesting. I think more things could live there, but I haven't really gone down that road."

Of course, if there's enough demand then these things can and do happen - hence why Big Little Lies is getting another season, for example - but Maniac's ending works so much better if it allows you to imagine what might come next, without actually showing it. It ends on a surprising, and surprisingly optimistic, note, and with a strong message. It doesn't need anything else.

What did you think of Maniac and its ending? Share your thoughts down in the comments.