Amazon MGM renews The Girlfriend for season 2 — but not the way you expect
The Girlfriend isn’t coming back the usual way. Amazon MGM Studios is reportedly developing The Boyfriend, a follow-up to last year’s Prime Video hit that acts as a new chapter rather than a straight-up Season 2.
Well, here’s a clever little switcheroo from the bods at Amazon MGM Studios: remember that smash Prime Video thriller The Girlfriend from last year? Turns out the ‘second season’ talk doesn’t actually mean we’re getting more of that same story. Amazon’s officially in development on something called The Boyfriend—same branding, entirely different set of characters, whole new theme.
Not Quite a Sequel – More a Sibling
According to Deadline, The Boyfriend is shaping up as more of a stand-alone than a direct follow-up. They’re not bringing back the old cast or continuing the main story. Instead, it’s a fresh narrative, heavy on masculinity, and (from what’s leaked) zero connection plot-wise to the events of The Girlfriend. At the moment, there’s no screenwriter attached, although apparently there are talks underway to bring in some new writing talent. So, early days.
What the Cast Has to Say
Robin Wright, who starred in and also directed three episodes of the original series, previously told The Hollywood Reporter she had absolutely no idea if a second run was on the cards: "It’s all in Amazon’s hands." Wright did say she’d be 'completely satisfied' even if a follow-up never happened. So no heartbreak for her, then.
Recapping the Prime Video Phenomenon
Just for context, The Girlfriend made its Prime Video debut on 10 September 2025 (future set, for those double-checking the calendar). All six episodes dropped at once, as is the way now. It instantly took off—more than 25 million views, making it the top new show in the UK for its launch period.
Critical Reception: A Roundup
- Rotten Tomatoes: 87% critic approval, 72% audience score
- Metacritic: 70 Metascore, 6.9 user rating – both tagged as 'generally favourable'
Pretty robust response across the board—critics, audiences, the lot.
The Backstory and Cast
The show was brought to life by Naomi Sheldon and Gabbie Asher, adapted from Michelle Frances’ novel. The central plot? Laura (Wright) gets suspicious of her son Daniel’s (Laurie Davidson) new girlfriend Cherry (Olivia Cooke) and pulls out all the stops to prise her boy away—all with a fair bit of greed, love, power, and obsession thrown in for good measure.
The main cast also included Waleed Zuaiter, Karen Henthorn, Tanya Moodie, and Shalom Brune-Franklin, while support came in from Anna Chancellor, Marina Bye, Nicholas Burns, Naomi Sheldon (doing a bit of double duty), and Stephenson Ardern-Sodje.
Wright didn’t just act—she took on directorial duties for half the run and executive produced too, alongside Asher, Dave Clarke, Frances, Caroline Norris, Phil Robertson, Will Tennant, John Zois, María Cabello and Jonathan Cavendish.