Ratched spoilers follow.
We all love a good origin story, and now we're all well versed in Nurse Mildred Ratched of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, thanks to Ryan Murphy and Evan Romansky.
The pair pooled their respective creative talents to bring us Ratched, a Netflix series in 2020, which spends its 10 episodes delving into who, exactly, Mildred was before the Oscar-winning film arrived in 1975.
Meeting a friendly (if a little unorthodox and twisted) version of the character, viewers were hooked as they tried to figure out how she transformed into the heartless nurse Louise Fletcher made famous.
It became the most-viewed debut season of 2020, with 48 million households tuning in during its first 28 days.
(But it should be noted that Netflix counts watching a series as at least two minutes, so those numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt.)
Looking ahead to the future, are more episodes on the cards?
Here's everything you need to know.
Ratched season 2 release date: When will it air?
While season two has been confirmed, sadly there has been no update on when we can actually expect it.
As of December 2021, there was still no news on this.
The first season dropped back in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, and unfortunately with the cast's hectic schedules, as well as Ryan Murphy's ever-expanding series count, filming hasn’t even started.
However, if you check back, we will let you know what’s going on as soon as we know more.
Ratched season 2: Who’s in the cast?
Ratched wouldn't be Ratched without our leading lady, Sarah Paulson.
It's also highly likely we'll see Cynthia Nixon return as her love interest and lawyer, Gwendolyn Briggs, and Finn Wittrock as her brother, the twisted Edmund Tolleson.
Other likely returns are: Sophie Okonedo as Charlotte Wells, Brandon Flynn as Henry Osgood, Judy Davis as Nurse Betsy Bucket, Amanda Plummer as Louise, and Vincent D'Onofrio as Governor George Milburn, among others.
However, there are a few faces that sadly didn't make it out of the initial first season.
So, unless they are back in flashback form, we've sadly seen the last of Dr Richard Hanover (Jon Jon Briones), nurse Huck Finnigan (Charlie Carver), Lenore Osgood (Sharon Stone), Dolly (Alice Englert), Charles Wainwright (Corey Stoll) and Harold (Jermaine Williams).
No new cast members have been confirmed just yet, but we wouldn't be surprised if some new patients make their way to Lucia State.
Ratched season 2 plot: What will happen?
Season two ended far differently than Ryan Murphy and the writers had planned, with Nurse Ratched and Briggs starting a new life in Mexico together, and Nurse Bucket taking over Lucia State.
Briggs, who had been diagnosed with cancer, discovered that she was in remission thanks to a revolutionary medicine connected to mistletoe.
But initially, she was meant to die – and we wouldn't say she's out of the woods just yet.
"It was not going to be a happy ending at the end of season one, and [the creators] changed it," Nixon told OprahMag.com. "There were a bunch of characters that were originally slated to die, and they changed their minds"
On top of that, Ratched's brother Edmund is out and on the run alongside Charlotte, who has multiple personalities, and his girlfriend Louise.
After realising his sister planned to kill him, he's not going to let that lie, and may will now be out for vengeance.
The pair will undoubtedly meet again, but will they be able to build bridges?
Ultimately, the series is careering towards the events of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, but how we get there is anyone's guess at the moment.
Whatever happens, Mildred will be sure to go through the wringer to twist her into the evil and power hungry nurse we know she becomes.
"I think if we end up in that era, it would be more about Nurse Ratched's life when she turned the key in her white uniform, coming back into her house from those days at the hospital with all those events that happened there," she told The Wrap.
"What you're probably going to see is a Mildred who has now become even harder, because the thing that kept her soft was the part of her that was engaged in the love and the protection and the desire for absolution, as it pertained to her brother.
"Now that that's gone, I don't know who she'll become. But further and further away from her heart and her humanity, I can be pretty sure about that."
Ratched season 2 trailer: Has it been released yet?
Unfortunately, there's no sign of a trailer just yet.
However, if you watch this space, we'll be sure to keep you updated.
Typically, Netflix drops the trailer around a month before it releases the full season, and that usually comes after we get teaser posters, and a release date.
So once all those things start arriving, we know it’s on its way!
Ratched is available now on Netflix.
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Freelance writer, Digital Spy
Tilly is Gold-Standard NCTJ accredited journalist with eight years of experience in entertainment journalism.
She has been heard giving her insight on the latest TV stories on BBC Radio across the country and on BBC News.
Previously working with The Sun Online, Yahoo, Metro.co.uk and Independent IE amongst others, she joined the Digital Spy team from 2021-2023 as Deputy TV Editor (Maternity cover).
With a speciality in TV drama and true crime, Tilly has been praised for her exclusive content with A-list stars ranging from Sir David Attenborough to the lawyers behind Making A Murderer.
She’s happy to report her mum now takes her seriously as a journalist as she got to interview George Clooney once.
