It’s safe to say we are all obsessed with period romance dramas, from Bridgerton to Lady Chatterley’s Lover –and The Empress, which dropped season one all the way back in September 2022.
The series is set in the world of Austrian royalty, and received a huge fan response – unsurprisingly prompting fans to look ahead and speculate about what might happen in a second season
To recap, season one focused on rebellious Elisabeth who finds herself unexpectedly falling for Emperor Franz and entering the intense world of the Viennese court. The first series ended with some big questions, which we’ve been patiently waiting for answers.
Here’s everything we know about The Empress season two so far…
The Empress season 2 release date
While series one arrived at the end of September 2022, fans have been patiently waiting for over two years (!) for more episodes. But finally, at the end of October 2024, the streaming service confirmed The Empress season 2 release date.
“The fairytale era is over, now the battle for the future begins,” they wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter.) “The Empress Season 2 premieres 22nd November.”
Buzzing! Still, for now, we’ll be keeping our period drama watchlist fully stocked up.
When was The Empress season 2 confirmed?
That lovely lot at Netflix announced The Empress season two way back on 8th November 2022, writing on Twitter: “The Empress has been renewed for Season 2!”
Straight to the point and we like it. The Empress initially jumped straight into the No.2 spot in Netflix’s UK Top 10 soon after its release. So, no doubt fans will be *thrilled* over the news.
The Empress season 2 cast
The majority of the ensemble cast from season one is returning for season two, so that’s good news for getting answers to questions we’ve been wanting closure on. That includes:
- Devrim Lingnau as Elisabeth von Wittelsbach
- Phillip Froissant as Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
- Melika Foroutan as Sophie, Archduchess of Austria and Franz’s mother
- Elisa Schlott as Helene
- Johannes Nussbaum as Archduke Maximilian, Franz’s younger brother
- Almila Bagriacik as Countess Leontine von Apafi
- Jördis Triebel as Ludovika, Duchess of Bavaria, Elisabeth’s mother
Season two will also see newcomer Josephine Thiesen join the cast as Princess Marie Charlotte of Belgium, while Christophe Favre (who starred in 2008’s Alex Hugo) has been cast as Napoleon III.
The Empress season 2 plot predictions
There were some big developments towards the end of season one, with Elisabeth planning to head home to Bavaria after a tense conversation with Franz and Archduchess Sophia. However, just before she’s about to leave, she finds out she’s pregnant.
We then see Elisabeth’s exist blocked by a protesting crowd, with Elisabeth addressing the people and telling them she’s expecting a child. That leaves tonnes of questions for season two: Will Elisabeth and Franz reconcile, and will she stay in Vienna? We can’t wait to find out.
The Empress season one is streaming now on Netflix.
