Feel Good, Mae Martin’s semi-autobiographical comedy, is back for a second run, airing on Netflix, which follows more relationship woes for fictional Mae and ex-girlfriend George (Charlotte Ritchie).
Co-written by the Canadian stand-up comic, the new season will see them both confront their pasts, but will the course of true love run smooth?
Here’s everything we know about Feel Good Season 2...
Feel Good Season 2 release date
The six-part second season of Feel Good will air on Netflix from Friday June 4. The first season, which originally aired on Channel 4 in the UK, is also available.
What's the plot?
In the new run, recovering addict Mae is back in Canada and going through rehab following her relapse last series. Meanwhile teacher George is still in the UK and trying her best to move on. But as they are drawn back into each other’s lives, can they reconnect?
“We left them in an ambiguous place. And so we rejoin them in a similarly ambiguous place with Mae in Canada and George at home, not knowing if Mae’s ever going to come back. They're kind of unsure about whether they're going to be together and that's our journey,” says Martin, who has been nominated for a BAFTA for the first season.
“Everyone in Mae and George’s lives were telling them that they were toxic and shouldn't be together. But they feel this magnetic pull to each other. So they're trying to figure out how they can healthily be together.”
“I think they've grown up a little bit more, and their concerns become different,” adds Ghosts and former Call the Midwife star Ritchie. “I think they have to learn who they are as individuals. There's a sense they have to really find out what it is they need."
Feel Good Season 2 cast
Along with Martin and Ritchie, the new series sees the return of Friends legend Lisa Kudrow and Adrian Lukis (The Crown, Toast of London) as Mae’s parents Linda and Malcolm.
“It was nice seeing Lisa again, without all the jitters of meeting her for the first time. It really felt like seeing a friend and we've kept in touch,” says Martin. “She's so intelligent that it was just nice to hear her take on the world and on the pandemic. She's really knowledgeable about so many different things, so we're all kind in awe of her I think."
Meanwhile Pippa Haywood (Bodyguard) is back as George’s mum Felicity, and Anthony Head (Buffy) joins the cast as her dad George Snr.
“I found it quite exciting to meet George's dad, I just find the relationship between George and her parents heartbreaking, there's just so much sad separation,” says Ritchie. “Her dad is just crazy but he's believable. And Anthony was great doing that.”
Comedians Phil Burgers and Jack Barry also reprise their roles as George’s lovable flatmate Phil and Mae’s fellow comic Jack. Other new faces include Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens as George’s colleague Elliot, rapper Eve as Mae’s counsellor Audrey, John Ross Bowie (The Big Bang Theory) as her old friend Scott, Eleanor Matsuura (The Walking Dead) as Donna, and Broadway star Marisha Wallace as Marsha.
What else do we know about Feel Good 2?
Although part of the series is set in Canada, it was all filmed in the UK.
“We filmed by a lake in Surrey and there was a lot of CGI in English fields! But we also filmed at a house in Oxford,” says Martin. “When I was eight, for one year I lived in Oxford and weirdly, by fluke, this house was directly across the street from the house of my childhood best friend’s family who still live there. So I went and rang their doorbell and chatted to them. It was really great.”
Will Feel Good return again?
No, this is the final run of the comedy, but Martin has been thrilled by the reaction to the first run and at being able to draw everything to a strong conclusion.
"It felt like a tidal wave of incredibly thoughtful responses from all different demographics, which is all you can hope for. The stuff that means the most is from the people who are in the throes of addiction and found it helpful. I had some interesting conversations with people,” says Martin.
“We always knew we wanted it to be two seasons and so it was really satisfying to be able to walk away from it and be like, 'I've done the best I can with my story’. I can’t overstate what Feel Good has meant to me. It was really meaningful to be able to be the kind of leading man in the way that I had always fantasised about as a kid and to be able to explore things that were painful and personal was incredibly rewarding with all these supportive people in a very safe environment.”
