There are plenty of reasons why Tom Ripley might want to stick around Italy, if he can side-step the dead bodies he seems to leave in his wake. The protagonist of Netflix’s new Patricia Highsmith adaptation Ripley, Andrew Scott’s Tom has none of the elegance of his lavish surroundings but all of their austerity, and a murderous desire to retain his footing within them. Writer-creator-director Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) has crafted an unusual offering for the binge-watching era, in which long, indulgent shots—rendered entirely in black-and-white—frame a Ripley who’s not so much a con artist as a con amateur. But his tedious trial-and-error crimes (and growing body count) underscore the degree of his devotion to the con. He will bear whatever weight, literal or otherwise, he must, in order to puncture the sleepy wealth he resents and craves.
What the audience does not know is how long he can keep the game going. Will Ripley continue, both the man and the series?
When Ripley was first announced as a Showtime vehicle with Scott in the leading role, executives apparently envisioned the show as a multi-season project. (Per Variety, Showtime entertainment co-president Gary Levine referred to it as “an ongoing series for Showtime.”) Once the series transitioned ownership to Netflix in February 2023, that vision seems to have shifted. Netflix is marketing Ripley as a limited series, which indicates no current plans to continue the show past its first eight-episode season.
That isn’t to say there’s zero chance Ripley will continue. Although the eight episodes draw material from all five of Highsmith’s Ripley novels, their content focuses primarily on the first book, The Talented Mr. Ripley, meaning there are untouched storylines a second season could explore. And there’s certainly precedent for limited series becoming multi-chapter projects after enjoying critical and viewership success. (Looking at you, Big Little Lies and The White Lotus.)
Still, it’s as yet unclear if Zaillian would be open to revisiting Ripley in such a manner. Scott, for his part, seems to believe the show could garner the kind of audience appreciation that Netflix would invest further in. As the actor told Vanity Fair back in February 2024, “To be able to watch somebody thinking on their feet is always a real treat for audiences. [Ripley’s] deeply talented, and talent is very attractive. And the fact that the only people who really know how brilliant he is, is the audience, makes it a real bond.”