In a welcome change of pace, 
Netflix
has renewed one of its newest seasons, with French sports drama The Cage
now getting the greenlight for Season 2. The series, which combines Rocky with Warrior and centers on a young MMA fighter who gets a shot at the big time, has proven to be divisive among both critics and audiences alike, but no doubt many will be pleased to see that, this time, the dreaded Netflix ax did not fall.
The news of a Season 2 renewal for The Cage was revealed thanks to the official X/Twitter account for Netflix France, which declared, “The Fight Continues—The Cage Season 2 Confirmed!” Released onto the platform on November 8, the series has seen a surge in popularity, garnering 17.40 million views and taking over the top spot in the charts from the critically acclaimed anime series, Arcane.
Created by Sylvain Caron and Franck Gastambide, The Cage (La Cage) stars Melvin Boomer (Reign Supreme) as Taylor, the lead and an aspiring pro fighter. The rest of the cast includes Franck Gastambide (The Wages of Fear), Bosh (Validé), Antoine Simony (Summer of 85), and real-life MMA fighters Edwige Ahonto, Georges St-Pierre, Ciryl Gane, Jon Jones, and Anissa Meksen.
‘The Cage’ Received a Divisive Response From Both Critics & Audiences
While the viewership has been high for a relatively unknown series, the critical response has hardly been a knockout. Not enough reviews have been gathered by Rotten Tomatoes for a critics’ score, but the series has a divisive 56% on the Popcornmeter. User reviews on the review aggregator site span the entire critical spectrum, with Alexis P awarding The Cage 5/5 and saying, “I absolutely loved La Cage! This series dives into the gritty world of MMA and captures the highs and lows of chasing a dream in the fighting arena. Taylor Keita’s journey from an amateur to a rising star feels raw and real, and the fights are intense and beautifully choreographed.”
Justin W, meanwhile, found the MMA drama to be far more middling, awarding 2.5 and saying, “If you like MMA this is a fun watch. But if your looking for natural character development. You made need to keep looking.” And, on the brutally negative side, Mike R gave the show just half a star, saying, “Trash. All of the budget clearly went to UFC fighters and not toward training/acting/writing. If you want to watch toddlers fight MMA with a horrible story line. Please, feel free.”
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As for the critics, Johnny Loftus of Decider praised the series for having “a few jabs you won’t see coming.” Sushrut Gopesh of DMT, however, hopes “that the makers come up with a more engrossing storyline in season 2 and much more engaging conflicts,” while Arash Nahandian of Gazettely loved what he found in The Cage, declaring the series “a must-see for real stories, deep emotions, and fast-paced action.” You can check out the official synopsis for The Cage below.
“Dreaming of going pro, a young fighter struggles to be seen until an unexpected combat lands him a shot at the big time — and a brutal rival in the cage.”
The Cage
- Release Date
-
November 8, 2024
- Creator(s)
-
Franck Gastambide
- Cast
-
Franck Gastambide
, Melvin Boomer
, Georges St-Pierre
, Bosh
, Adel Bencherif
, Cyril Gane
, Salahdine Parnasse
, Abdoul Abdouraguimov
, Ramzan Jembiev
, Anissa Meksen
, Souleymane Cissokho
, Samy Sana
, Antoine Simony
, Gregory Defleur