'Big Mood's Creator Reveals Details About Possible Season 2

Big Mood’s heartbreaking first season finale left us desperate for what’s next for best friends Maggie (Nicola Coughlan) and Eddie (Lydia West). Will they reconcile, and will Maggie get the help she needs? The Channel 4 show dropped its six episodes on Tubi in April 2024, but since then, there’s been no word about a second series commission. However, from all appearances, it seems as if the first season was a significant success for the FAST channel, not just due to its well-designed algorithm but because Coughlan used her platform as the Season 3 star of Bridgerton to drive viewers to watch for free.

As Big Mood is a sitcom, wacky hijinks ensue as the series takes us through the whirlwind of two millennials whose friendship shifts after ten years: raunchy encounters with a teacher, a pagan festival that descends into a fist fight, a Love Actually-themed surprise birthday party interrupted by rats – and mental health issues. While the show is damn funny, it’s the mental health focus that truly shines brightest: Maggie’s bipolar disorder is presented with unwavering honesty and brutal rawness.

The chemistry between the lead actors is palpable, and their performances are stellar. Maggie, played by Coughlan, is adorable and endearing, which is quite the feat since her character can also be frustrating and annoying. West, as Eddie, shines as the loyal, responsible one trying to hold their worlds together. The strength of their connection powers the story.

Maggie and Eddie are the kind of ride-or-die best friends who know each other’s worst traits and are there for each other through every storm. As the show begins, Maggie has been off her Lithium prescription for about a week. She hides her decision to quit cold turkey until having a public meltdown forces it into the open. Eddie stands by Maggie during the inevitable swing from mania to the depths of depression, although she is juggling her own issues as she fights to save the bar she inherited from her father.

Maggie tries to use the movie A Beautiful Mind as a roadmap to thinking her way out of bipolar disorder, but with Eddie at her side, she is finally strong enough to reach out for professional help. Once back on her meds, Maggie is more stable for a time and tries to cheer up her best friend as the bar slips further from Eddie’s control—the two fight when Maggie blocks Eddie’s slimy ex-boyfriend from contacting her. 

Things go awry when Maggie’s worsening mental health leads to her missing the appointment where she was supposed to support Eddie during her abortion. This is the last straw for an exasperated Eddie, who is unaware that although medicated, Maggie is now plagued by hallucinations and losing time. When Eddie boards her taxi in the final scene, the silence between her and Maggie seems to spell death for their friendship.  

In a podcast interview from July 2024, writer/creator Camilla Whitehill revealed that Channel 4 was investigating the possibility of where the story could go from there and commissioned Whitehall to write “a few” episodes for Season 2 to give producers and network executives an idea of where she felt the show should aim for a second season. Whitehall admitted that though she then drafted out the requested scripts, nothing had been decided at that point, calling Season 2 “not fully greenlit.” 

It’s excellent news that Channel 4 is considering a second season, and scripts are already available. Drafts go a long way toward making another set of episodes a reality. Both Coughlan and West have been open about how eager they are to return for a second season, each stating that exact sentiment in an early interview. 

However, since July, there’s been nothing. That’s not unusual; anyone who loves British TV knows that sometimes the best shows take several years between seasons. Happy Valley, Black Mirror, Peaky Blinders, and even Doctor Who (where Coughlan recently guest starred) have disappeared for years between seasons. (Doctor Who is notorious for taking a year off between seasons, particularly during its regeneration periods.) However, it also means news beyond this is near nonexistent; hopefully, we’ll hear more later in 2025. 

Will Maggie come clean with Eddie about the dire state of her mental deterioration? Can Eddie forgive Maggie for abandoning her when she most needed her best friend? A second season will allow us to see Maggie pursue psychiatric help, particularly since she now believes she could have schizophrenia. However, it was suggested Maggie needs her Lithium levels checked, hinting it could be responsible for Maggie’s visions of creepy children and her memory loss. Meanwhile, Eddie lost her bar and is on her way to America – ostensibly for a vacation, but with no strong ties back in London, who knows how long she may avoid returning.

Unfortunately for Maggie, things will probably get worse before they get better. Maggie is at risk of getting lost in her condition without Eddie's external support and perspective. We don’t know the history of Maggie’s relationship with her mother, but it’s undoubtedly strained—perhaps because her mother has repeatedly seen her make poor choices.

By necessity, Season 2 might focus on who these women are without each other. This will be especially important for Eddie, whose role as Maggie’s de facto caretaker has left little room for her life trajectory and self-exploration. Who is Eddie when she’s not saving Maggie? Maggie, for her part, will need to find the strength to ask for help despite feeling deeply ashamed. She has internalized her symptoms as personal failings rather than considering it might be the medicine’s fault.

Big Mood succeeds at finding dark comedy in the messy, complicated lives of those with mood disorders. It also represents depression accurately without drowning the viewer in despair. The writing is smart, snappy, and makes you laugh. Give us more!

All episodes of Big Mood are streaming on Tubi.