Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino’s dazzling new series, Étoile, which premiered on Prime Video on April 24, is unlike any dance drama you’ve seen before. Set within the elite environment of two world-renowned ballet companies in New York and Paris, it delivers all the mile-a-minute banter and richly drawn characters that made the Palladinos’ The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel a phenomenon—only now, it’s set to the rhythm of pointe shoes and pas de deux. There’s also a kidnapping, an onstage bull, and a fiasco involving an unwanted live-in rat. Naturally, we’re already obsessed—and asking the inevitable question: Will there be a Season 2? Here’s everything we know so far.
A dance scene being filmed at the Palais Garnier.
Will there be a Season 2 of Étoile?
Great news, Étoile fans: Prime Video confirmed the second season alongside season one when the series was first given the green light in 2023. Giving a show a two-season order isn’t common, however after the success of Maisel (the show won 20 Emmys including outstanding comedy series), it’s no surprise that Amazon would trust Sherman-Palladino to create another gangbuster.
“Well, guess that plan for early retirement will have to wait,” the married duo said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in April 2023. “Instead, we’ve decided to embark on an international journey with an unbelievable group of players and the most talented ballet dancers in the world. We will sleep when we’re dead.”
As for future seasons, there’s been no word on whether the show will receive a third season.
A bull makes a comical appearance in the show, illustrating the ways that ballet companies are reinventing the art to create public interest.
What will the plot of Étoile Season 2 be?
Étoile follows the dancers and staff of two world-renowned ballet companies that are both dealing with dwindling crowds and a lack of promising dancers. In an effort to save their storied institutions, the two companies decide to swap their most talented stars. During the series, there’s romantic tension between Jack McMillan (Luke Kirby) and Genevieve (Charlotte Gainsbourg)—spoiler: one that is further complicated by a dramatic kiss between Jack and Cheyenne Toussaint (Lou de Laâge) in the season finale. We’d speculate that a love triangle is about to develop in Season 2.
At the end of the series, the New York ballet company’s artistic director, Nicholas Leutwylek (David Haig), suffers a stroke and is almost nearly dead. Jack offers Cheyenne the job, which she accepts, before losing it again when he makes a miraculous recovery. «It comes from a very unwelcome place,» Kirby tells Entertainment Weekly. . «And it’s a ridiculous idea at the outset. But it provides him one thing, which is keeping her in New York.»
Co-creator Sherman-Palladino agrees, noting that Jack’s decision to offer Cheyenne the job demonstrates his ability to prioritize the needs of the ballet company. «Jack is going to fight it tooth and nail, just like he fought the swap idea,» she tells Entertainment Weekly. «But in the end, the longevity of the company is the most important thing. And it needs something original. It needs the pop of energy. She’s the future.»
What does this mean for Season 3? Left with the open question of whether Cheyenne will succeed in replacing Nicholas, we’d wager she will stay in New York, poised to step up to the role—and possibly take drastic measures to do so.
Crispin Shamblee (played by Simon Callow) joins the dancers in rehearsal at the Palais Garnier.
«There’s a lot to explore,» Yanic Truesdale (who plays Raphaël Marchand) tells Town & Country. «They had told me already when I joined in season one that we would go much deeper in season two with him because we don’t know much about him in season one,” he adds. “So obviously I’m looking forward, if we get a season two, to dig into who is that guy? I’m intrigued by him. I already have some sort of an idea I’ve made for myself, but it’s always interesting what the writers and especially what [the Palladinos] have in mind.”
Gideon Glick (Tobias Bell) agrees, adding that he’s eager to explore the relationship between Tobias and Gabin Roux (Ivan du Pontavice), which the show teases in an unexpected on-stage kiss in Season 1. «I’ve been pitching that Tobias goes to Tokyo, Tobias takes Tokyo, has a really good alliterative [appeal], but we have budget restraints, so I don’t know about that… [laughs] And it doesn’t go with our premise,” he tells Town & Country.
Which cast members will return for Étoile Season 2?
The show’s leading roles included Kirby, Gainsbourg, and de Laâge, as well as Haig, Yanic Truesdale, David Alvarez, Ivan du Pontavice, Gideon Glick, Simon Callow, and John Lam. While it has not been confirmed who will stay and what new cast members will join the next season, we hope all of the current cast members will be returning for Season 2. The bull, however, might not make a second appearance.
Cheyenne Toussaint (Lou de Laâge) spends time with her mother, Bruna Toussaint (Marie Berto) in Paris.
When will Étoile Season 2 be released?
The Palladinos began talking about the show in April 2023, so it’s likely it will take at least a year for Season 2 to be released. By that estimation, it won’t hit the small screen before spring 2026.
Has production started on season 2 of Étoile?
There’s no news about the production or release date for Season 2 as of yet.
This post will be updated.
Rachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publication’s feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.
