Creative heads Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos crafted a skillfully put-together masterpiece that came to be called the first season of "Making a Murderer." The series was an immediate success, garnering nearly 19 million viewers in its first month, in the US alone. Worldwide, the fan count continues to grow.
And now, Netflix, through its official Twitter account, has announced the return of the series for a second season. The first season was centered on Steven Avery, who had been imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. It all began back in 1985, when Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, were accused of rape and attempted murder of Penny Bernstein. Upon being convicted, they were sentenced to prison. Eighteen years later in 2003, they were found not guilty on the basis of DNA evidence, and were consequently acquitted.
But the story did not end there. As season 1 of the show portrayed, Avery was indicted in 2005 with and found guilty of first-degree murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, and his nephew was charged as an accessory to the crime. Avery's petition for a retrial was rejected in 2011.
The episodes in the Netflix crime-drama went on to generate such a strong reaction from the viewers that a petition titled "Investigate and pardon the Averys in Wisconsin and punish the corrupt officials who railroaded these innocent men" was submitted to the U.S. government. The Telegraph reports that the petition amassed signatures of support from nearly 130,000 people, prompting a formal response from the White House.
The upcoming season will seemingly focus on how the trial and conviction has affected Avery's family, and the people involved in the case. Variety informs fans that the new episodes are also likely to offer screen space to Avery's lawyer Kathleen Zellner.
An official release date is yet to be announced, but Netflix Life speculates that a late 2016 release is possible.
