Holly Smale’s bestselling Geek Girl novels have long been a staple of teen fiction and Netflix is now probably hoping its adaptation to screen becomes just as relevant in the new medium.
Season 1 of Geek Girl premiered on the streamer on May 30, 2024, led by what critics have described as a book-faithful performance by House of the Dragon‘s Emily Carey as the titular geek girl, Harriet Manners. Obsessed with facts, socially awkward, and passionate, Harriet struggles to fit in at school; however, her life is suddenly forever changed when she’s scouted by a model agency.
Although the series never directly labels Harriet as such, it’s been widely praised for its representation of autism, especially since both novelist Smale and lead actor Carey are autistic themselves. To the few detractors among the viewers, the author, who also contributed to the show, had this to say:
People annoyed that GEEK GIRL isn’t “authentic” autistic representation – It’s based on books written by me (autistic), about me as a teen (autistic). I wrote all of Harriet for the show (still autistic) and the lead actor is autistic. It’s the DEFINITION of authentic.”
The first season ran for 10 episodes and did well enough in both Netflix’s Global and English language charts to warrant an optimistic look toward its future.
Has Geek Girl been renewed for a second season?
Not yet. Netflix hasn’t revealed its plans for the future of Geek Girl, but with how popular it has become, and how much material there is left to adapt, it’s easy to imagine a positive outcome. The show was first advertised as a limited series by the streamer, it wouldn’t be unusual for those intentions to change (elsewhere in the television sphere, FX’s Shōgun recently received the same treatment).
Netflix and series producers Zoë Rocha and Anthony Leo have five more books from which to pull inspiration for future seasons, as well as an additional collection of novellas and a Christmas special.
We doubt this will be the end of Harriet Manners’s journey on television.
