Network USA has decided to lose its dare. Part murder mystery and part teenage cheerleading drama, Dare Me debuted in December 2019.
Executively produced by Meghan Abott and Gina Fattore, Dare Me revolves around the life of high school cheerleaders and the cut-throat competition that takes place between them, based out of a small Midwestern town in the US.
Highlights —
- A peek into the Netflix teenage drama Dare Me
- Why did USA cancel Netflix’s Dare Me?
- Will Dare Me back for another season?
A peek into the teenage drama
The cheerleading drama came to an end on March 8, after a run of 10 episodes. Based on Meghan Abott’s novel of the same name, the drama features teenage girls who are as talented as they are reckless, the perfect combination for a highly competitive sport like cheerleading. It explores the psychological and physical extremes that some teenagers are willing to go through in order to get ahead.The dark and seductive mystery drama follows high school best friends and cheerleaders Addy Hanlon and Beth Cassidy, whose relationship comes to the edge when their new cheer coach Colette French arrives on the scene.
The arrival of Collette (Willa Fitzgerald), a former cheerleader-turned-coach, creates a major twist in the show. Almost instantly after her arrival, she drives a wedge between Addy and Beth, de facto leaders of the cheerleading squad, and soon the best friends are keeping deadly secrets from each other.
The relationship dynamics between the best friends get threatened when Collete drags Addy into the death of Sarge Will in his apartment. The first season ends with viewers knowing that Collette and her husband were involved in the murder, but we do not know what actually took place on the night of his death. Beth, who took an instant dislike for the new coach and is heavily unsatisfied with the infatuation that Addy has for her, is very well aware of their connection with the murder.She is hell bent on exposing Collete and her husband, but also risks exposing her best friend.
Why did USA cancel it?
The USA unveiled the destiny of Dare Me by cancelling it after the first season. The news was announced by The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline on April 30. The Hollywood Reporter said that the series will now be shipped to other networks and streaming services. The drama was ordered in January 2019 with Netflix as the co-producer, and the streamer gained first-run rights in markets outside of the US. However, this isn’t the first time the show was supposed to run. It was originally supposed to be released six years ago under Fox Production, starring Natalie Portman, but the rumour faded away with time.
Though it earned rave reviews from fans and critics, it couldn’t match the popularity of shows like Suits. With the shifting trend in the consumption of entertainment, cable networks and streaming services are gradually working towards accepting the change in the programming formats.
As The Hollywood Reporter said, the network is working towards producing more of live and unscripted shows. Its focus on scripted originals is gradually shifting to eventized projects like the Milo Ventimiglia-led Evel miniseries. The network’s new roster looks somewhat like this: Queen of the South, The Sinner, Briarpatch, The Purge, Treadstone, and the Bravo import Dirty John, many of which are also awaiting word on their futures.
Will it be back for another season?
Dare Me has to be back with another dare. The first season left with a cliff-hanger, leaving fans desperate for a second season. The showrunner and author, Meghan Abbott, while speaking to Entertainment Weekly, said that the writers still have a lot to say.
Netflix has always been known to revive dying shows. In recent times, it has already revived, Lucifer, Designated Survivor, and The Killing, which were earlier cancelled by their networks. With Netflix on board as a co-producer, it is just a matter of time before the show is picked up. Though we don’t have any affirmation yet, we hope it comes through soon.
Only time can tell what the future holds for the show and we can just cross our fingers and pray. You can binge watch the show here on Netflix, but not before telling us if you want another season.
