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The Staircase may have reignited our interest in true crime documentaries, but the first series of the kind on Netflix to cause a buzz was about Steven Avery, not Michael Peterson. Like The Staircase, the series following Steven Avery cast a lot of doubt on his guilt. Though Peterson’s case may have ellipsed Avery’s in water cooler discussions and social media debates, the tables are about to turn because Making a Murderer season 2 is official.

UPDATE: And we now have an official release date. Keep reading for more about what to expect and when it’s coming to Netflix.

If you haven’t followed the news about Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, Avery’s nephew, this news might be confusing. What would Making a Murderer season 2 even cover, you’re probably wondering. Recently there have been developments in Brendan Dassey’s case, which has sparked renewed interest in Steven Avery’s as well.

A judge ultimately found that Brendan Dassey’s confession was coerced, which probably doesn’t surprise people who have watched the first season of Making a Murderer. A US federal court also decided on June 22, 2017 that Brendan should be freed from prison. Ultimately, Brendan Dassey was not released from prison, and we have a guide to walk you through how that happened.

What you can expect from Making a Murder season 2

Although there are few details Netflix about what the new season will cover, the recent headlines about Brendan Dassey’s case are a good bet for Making a Murder 2 material. The only official word from the streaming service is that “This next chapter will provide an in-depth look at the high-stakes post-conviction process, as well as, the emotional toll the process takes on all involved.”

But the forward movement of the cases in court won’t be the only focus. In fact, Making a Murderer season 2 might just cover the same time period as the first season. “There is a ton of info that wasn’t explored just in the confines of the episodes we’ve already done,” Ted Sarandos from Netflix shared during the TCA summer press tour. Maybe we’ll get a more thorough picture of what happened leading up to the convictions.

Making a Murderer season 2 trailer

Since there’s no official Making a Murderer season 2 release date, there’s also no trailer, yet. Metro will update this article as soon as Netflix released one, or even a short promo, which will hopefully coincide with more details about the coming episodes.

There’s also a Making a Murder spin-off in the works

Yes, you read that right. Although Netflix is only producing Making a Murderer season 2, there’s a Making a Murderer spin-off in production from documentary filmmaker Shawn Rech. The Making a Murderer spin-off, called Convicting a Murderer, was announced back in February 2018 and it sounds a lot like The Staircase.

The eight-episode series will be about the controversial case the State of Wisconsin built against Avery and Dassey. So while Making a Murderer season 2 sounds like it’s going a more emotional route, Convicting a Murderer will look at the legal system. “When Making A Murderer was produced, many on the law enforcement side of the story could not, or would not, participate in the series,” Rech explained in a statement.

That’s not to say there isn’t any overlap between Rech’s series and the new season coming from Netflix. “This docu-series will examine the case and the allegations of police wrongdoing from a broader perspective. It will also share with viewers the traumatic effects of being found guilty and vilified in the court of public opinion,” he detailed. That last part sounds pretty close to the crumbs Netflix has given us about their upcoming season.

Making a Murderer 2 release date

Netflix has been vague about an official release date for Making a Murder season 2, although they did confirm that a follow-up season was happening. “The story is still ongoing, so you will see new episodes coming sometime this year as this story continues to unfold,” Cindy Holland, VP of original content at Netflix, told USA Today. “We don’t know when, for sure, new episodes will be coming.”

Even though the last sentence is typical Netflix lingo for release dates until they make them official, it does sound like we’ll see Making a Murderer 2 before the end of the year. We know it sounds long, but summer will be over before you know it — because that’s how summer works. As soon as Netflix gives the official word, we’ll update this story.

UPDATE: We now have an official Making a Murderer 2 release date, and it’s sooner than we thought. The new episodes will drop on the streaming service on October 19.