Peacock renews Five Star Weekend Season 2

Peacock renewed “The Five Star Weekend” for a second season on August 5, extending a series that had initially been positioned as a limited adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s 2023 novel. The streamer said the Jennifer Garner-led drama is now its No. 1 scripted series of all time in overall reach and has amassed 2.1 billion minutes viewed. Peacock also said the show ranked among the top five streaming original series during its first two weeks after its July 9 premiere, citing preliminary Nielsen data. Jennifer Garner stars as Hollis Shaw, a food influencer and author whose life is upended by grief and long-buried tensions during a Nantucket gathering with four friends from different stages of her life, according to Peacock and Variety’s description of the series. The ensemble cast includes Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, D’Arcy Carden and Gemma Chan. (thewrap.com) ### Why did Peacock move so quickly on a second season? August 5 was less than a month after the show’s full first season debuted on July 9, making the renewal a fast follow to the launch. Peacock and NBCUniversal tied the decision directly to audience performance, saying the series had become the streamer’s most-watched scripted title in overall reach. (variety.com) Lisa Katz, president of scripted content for NBC and Peacock, said in a statement that audiences had “completely embraced” the story of friendship and reconnection. Katz thanked the cast, writers, directors and producing team in Peacock’s renewal announcement. ### What is the 2.1 billion-minute figure measuring? (nbcuniversal.com) Peacock said the series has reached 2.1 billion minutes viewed, a figure TheWrap and other trade outlets cited in reports on the renewal. NBCUniversal’s newsroom post described the show as Peacock’s No. 1 scripted series in overall reach, though one version of the company’s announcement summarized in search results listed 1.8 billion minutes watched, indicating Peacock’s public messaging was updated or varied across postings. (nbcuniversal.com) TheWrap reported that the 2.1 billion-minute mark accompanied Peacock’s claim that the series ranks as its top scripted title ever by overall reach. Variety separately reported the show had become Peacock’s most-watched scripted series ever when the renewal was announced. ### Wasn’t this supposed to be a limited series? (thewrap.com) “The Five Star Weekend” was adapted from a single Hilderbrand novel and was originally billed in coverage as a limited series. The Season 2 pickup changes that status and means Peacock will continue the story beyond the source book rather than simply close out the adaptation in one installment. (thewrap.com) TV Insider noted there is no sequel novel to Hilderbrand’s book at this point. That leaves Peacock and the show’s creative team building new material for the next chapter if the second season proceeds as announced. ### Who is expected to return? Jennifer Garner is set to return and is also an executive producer on the series, according to Peacock’s blog post on the renewal. (tvinsider.com) Peacock said Garner expressed enthusiasm about coming back alongside cast members including Hall, Sevigny, Carden and Chan, though full casting for Season 2 has not yet been formally detailed in the trade reports surfaced here. Yahoo and other pickup stories also pointed to the core cast as the faces most closely tied to the show’s success. Peacock has not, in the materials reviewed here, announced a premiere date or production start date for the second season. ### What comes next for the show? Peacock has announced the renewal but has not yet given a Season 2 release date, episode count or production timetable in the reports and company materials reviewed here. (peacocktv.com) The next concrete updates are likely to be casting confirmations, creative-team details and a production schedule from Peacock or NBCUniversal. (yahoo.com) July 9 remains the key benchmark for the show’s launch, and August 5 is the date Peacock turned that debut into an ongoing series. For now, the confirmed next step is that Hollis Shaw’s story will continue on Peacock in a second season. (nbcuniversal.com)