Netflix's 1899, set on an immigrant ship headed to America from Europe, is not what it seems on the surface. Throughout the first season, viewers learn that the steamship Kerberos is not actually in 1899, but a simulation in a spaceship in 2099, and the characters keep redoing the same trip across the ocean. Season one ends with Maura (Emily Beechum) waking up in space, not on the sea.
Creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar have an ambitious three-season plan for peeling back the mysteries of the ship—but so far, Netflix has yet to renew the show.
"For us, it was important that in the first episode, really from the get-go, you feel unbalanced. It does feel a little bit like an 1899 historical drama piece, but something is off," Friese told IndieWire. "What we constantly do is play with expectations. You read a code and you expect something and you feel safe in that. You think you figured it out. We’re breaking that expectation, and then hopefully giving you a satisfactory answer. At least at the end of Season 3, but hopefully already during the very first season."
Ideally, the creators say, the story is meant to be told in three seasons. "We always know the endpoint, the ending of the journey, the biggest reveal of them all," Friese shared.
Even the actors were left with questions after the season one finale, hoping for more closure. "Even with us actors we want to ask questions about season two for our characters," actor Jonas Bloquet shared in Making 1899. "They were like 'No, you do season one and then you'll see."