Netflix’s hit comic book series Sweet Tooth is finally back for season 2. The new season finds Gus, Big Man and Bear all separated when the former is kidnapped by General Abbot, his protector left for dead and the latter too late to save them. Bear will attempt to infiltrate the Last Men to find Gus while Big Man races against time with the help of fellow hybrid parental figure Aimee Eden to save the titular protagonist and his new friends.
Christian Convery returns to lead the cast of Sweet Tooth season 2 alongside Nonso Anozie, Dania Ramirez, Naledi Murray, Stefania LaVie Owen, Adeel Akhtar, Aliza Vellani, and Neil Sandilands. Raising the scale of its post-apocalyptic world with new characters, new settings, and backstories, the latest chapter of the Netflix show is bigger and better than its acclaimed debut.
In honor of the show’s return, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with creator Jim Mickle to discuss Sweet Tooth season 2, how he avoided the pressure of fan expectations, his approach to adapting the comics, and more.
Jim Mickle on Sweet Tooth Season 2
Screen Rant: Season 2 of Sweet Tooth continues to be just as phenomenal as season 1 was. Season 1 set a pretty high bar for yourself and the writers’ room, what was it like for you coming into season 2 in comparison to season 1?
Jim Mickle: Well, thankfully, we started writing before season 1 came out, actually. So, we put a writers room together about a month or two before, and it was interesting because we were hiring new writers and you start to go through a process and you’re sort of talking about the show, and people are going, “I think this show is really cool,” you’re like, “Oh, we’ll see, I don’t know how people are gonna respond to it.”
We were probably about six weeks in and we were a couple of episodes into the main story by the time the show came out and suddenly was like, “Oh, I think this is actually really connecting and resonating in a way that I never expected and hadn’t experienced before,” which is amazing, which is great.
I think in a way that helped, because we were able to sort of make it in a bubble when we weren’t thinking too hard about the expectations. But those expectations are definitely there, both from the comic book and from, I think, the fan base and what people want. Thankfully, I think we were sort of really aligned with what the comic book was, and could continue telling that story in a fun way. The fun thing about this season, I think, is taking the different genres that you can factor into the story and just go, “What does a prison break story look like in the Sweet Tooth world? What does a heist movie look like in that world?” That’s really fun, so yeah, I think you try not to think too hard about it, I guess.
I’ve not read the entirety of the comics, but I know that there are changes here and there. How much do you factor in wanting to stay faithful to the source material as well as bring your own take to it?
Jim Mickle: Yeah, I kind of go with what’s the best television show, what’s the best version of that? Because we did Hap and Leonard, which is a similar thing, was based on a book series, and you go through and you can start to really chase your tail if you start to go, “We’re gonna be 60 percent faithful, or 80 percent faithful, or 100 percent faithful.” At some point, you have to tell the best story, and I think in our case, especially going into a season 2, it’s like we have these characters, we’ve taken these characters, we’ve adapted them, and in some cases, they’re characters that we gave a different backstory to, or different sidestory or whatever.
Then you get these amazing actors that come along, and they have all these new flavors that you never thought of that both inform who the characters are, and you start to learn what they do well, and where you can really push things. At some point, you sort of take that, and then they take on a life of their own, and the story takes on a life of its own. What’s amazing is when you do that, you do find that you touch on the same things that Lemire does, and the comic book does, and sometimes you go back and you think that it’s something you created and you go, “Oh, no, that actually was the comic,” and vice versa.
I think it’s all in an effort to just go like, “What makes the best story, what makes the best episode of television?” Because it’s easy to start to go, “Well, there’s gonna be a lot of people who were really happy that we’re faithful, but it might not be the best show,” and that’s kind of not helping anyone, including the comic book.
I couldn’t agree more, sometimes deviations are important for the new fan base as well as the old fan base.
Jim Mickle: Yeah, but I think I’m inspired by the same things that Jeff is inspired by, and I think we know what the North Star is of it at all, so I think we’re all moving in the same direction.
About Sweet Tooth Season 2
As a deadly new wave of the Sick bears down, Gus (Christian Convery) and a band of fellow hybrids are held prisoner by General Abbot (Neil Sandilands) and the Last Men. Looking to consolidate power by finding a cure, Abbot uses the children as fodder for the experiments of captive Dr. Aditya Singh (Adeel Akhtar), who’s racing to save his infected wife Rani (Aliza Vellani). To protect his friends, Gus agrees to help Dr. Singh, beginning a dark journey into his origins and his mother Birdie’s (Amy Seimetz) role in the events leading up to The Great Crumble.
Outside the Preserve, Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie) and Aimee Eden (Dania Ramirez ) team up to break the hybrids free, a partnership that will be tested as Jepperd’s secrets come to light. As the revelations of the past threaten the possibility of redemption in the present, Gus and his found family find themselves on a collision course with Abbot and the evil forces that look to wipe them out once and for all. Based on the DC comic book series by Jeff Lemire, Sweet Tooth is executive produced by Jim Mickle, Susan Downey, Robert Downey, Jr., Amanda Burrell, and Linda Moran. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television.
Check out our other Sweet Tooth season 2 interviews here:
- James Brolin
- Christian Convery & Naledi Murray
- Nonso Anozie, Dania Ramirez & Adeel Akhtar
Sweet Tooth season 2 begins streaming on April 27.
