The Queen's Gambit producers confirm the show won't return for season 2

Anya Taylor-Joy in The Queen's Gambit
(Image credit: Netflix)

The executive producers of The Queen's Gambit have confirmed that the hit Netflix drama won't be returning for another season. During a virtual panel at this year's Emmys, Scott Frank and William Horberg said that they won't be revisiting the story of chess prodigy Beth Harmon (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) in any form. 

"I feel like we told the story we wanted to tell, and I worry – let me put it differently – I’m terrified that if we try to tell more, we would ruin what we’ve already told," Frank, the series director and executive producer, told Deadline.

"We’re all certainly going to keep working together," Horberg added, to which Taylor-Joy responded, "Absolutely." So while the trio won't be revisiting Beth and co., there's a chance they may collaborate on another project sometime soon.  

After premiering in October 2020, The Queen's Gambit became Netflix's most-watched scripted limited series ever – over 62 million households watched the show. The show won 11 Emmys at this year's award ceremony, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Alongside Taylor-Joy, the '60s-set series also stars Harry Melling, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Marielle Heller, Bill Camp, and Moses Ingram.

As for when Taylor-Joy, Frank, and Horberg might collaborate again, it might not be for a while – Taylor-Joy's schedule is pretty packed. Her upcoming movies include the dark comedy The Menu from Succession director Mark Mylod, two projects from The Witch director Robert Eggers, The Northman and his upcoming untitled Nosferatu project, and the Mad Max prequel Furiosa. Phew. 

If you've already watched The Queen's Gambit, check out our list of the other best Netflix shows that you can stream right now.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.