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Sweet Tooth's Success Can Set Up A New Franchise (& Proves Netflix's Model Right)
With Netflix's Sweet Tooth seeing remarkable success following its debut, the series has the potential to not only begin a new franchise but also prove that Netflix's content model works. Recent news has emerged about how the streaming platform chooses which shows to continue and the emphasis on early viewership indicates that more stories from the Sweet Tooth universe are yet to be told. The question at the moment is where the showrunners may take the series after its heroes have completed their mission.
The show won over audiences with its exciting premise and good-natured tone. It follows Gus, a young boy who is mysteriously born with deer antlers on his head, as he embarks on a dangerous journey across a virus-ravaged world to find his long-lost mother while being pursued by ruthless militaristic forces called the Last Men. Apart from Gus' story, Sweet Tooth contains multiple subplots that expand the universe of the original comic that the show is adapted from, such as making Dr. Aditya Singh a more sympathetic character as he works toward eliminating the virus and adding the former therapist Aimee Eden as the caretaker of the Preserve, a refuge for hybrid people like Gus. With the second season confirmed only a few months after the show's release, the likelihood of Netflix continuing the story well into the future is fairly high.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently went into more detail about the company's business model regarding how they decide which movies and shows are most enjoyed by audiences. During a discussion at this year's Code Conference, Sarandos explained (via Deadline) that "[engagement] is a real indicator of value" when the company reviews how many people view their content. For this reason, Sweet Tooth's breakout Netflix success seems as though it could proceed well into the future if audiences continue to show an interest in it. Netflix's approach is not flawless, with some issues being that some series end earlier or will be given less priority than others. Sweet Tooth's obscure and unconventional story could have proven weaknesses when it was first being marketed to audiences, but the show's ability to engage viewers ultimately determined its current status.
If the series continues, a future season may adapt the follow-up to the original comic, titled Sweet Tooth: The Return. Considered more of a reimagining than a direct sequel, the story of The Return places Gus in an underground world where isolation mysterious dreams drive him to uncover the truth behind his origins. Though this iteration of Gus' adventures is relatively short, an adaptation of it could explore the more mythical elements of Sweet Tooth’s story, touching upon ideas such as reincarnation to add greater mystery to the existence of hybrids in the series. Writer Jeff Lemire has expressed an interest in making the Netflix adaptation's story different to give viewers a new experience, making it plausible that the show could use Sweet Tooth: The Return to further accentuate the show's more fantastical aspects and to create more unexpected twists.
The show itself also contains an abundance of new characters who could become the focus of future stories, such as Bear and Tiger. As the creators of the Animal Army, a rogue faction separate from the rest of society, these two characters could be the focus of a coming-of-age story in which they explore the world and decide where they belong in it. A recurring theme in Sweet Tooth is that persevering against adversity will eventually lead one to happiness, and any future installments to the story will likely maintain this idea.
