Thankfully, A Man in Full's ending scene leaves little room for season 2

On the heels of Netlfix's smash hit limited series Baby Reindeer, the streamer dropped A Man in Full on May 2. The show wasted no time in shooting straight to the upper half of the top 10, right behind the aforementioned series that has been parked in the peak for over a week. Naturally, when shows are a hit, viewers want more. But sometimes, a second season simply isn't necessary.

Since we already issued the spoiler warning right at the top, let's not beat around the bush. If you watched the final episode of A Man in Full, then you know that last scene didn't either. The Netflix original miniseries saved its most shocking and WTF moment for the very end, though if you read the book by Tom Wolfe, maybe you knew what was coming.

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A Man in Full season 2 isn't needed

In the last sequence, Charlie Croker (Jeff Daniels) and Raymond Peepgrass (Tom Pelphrey) have a climactic encounter after Charlie catches Ryamond having sex with his ex-wife, Martha (Diane Lane). The scene culminates in Raymond stark naked and being choked to death by Charlie, and while Raymond keeps Charlie's hand forced onto his throat, Charlie has a fatal cardiac event.

It's a wild, wild scene that brings the series to a close with an overhead shot of Charlie lying lifeless on the floor, his robotic knee from episodes prior still showing signs of life. While the scene could leave you wanting to know what happens next for the many other interesting characters in the series, the sixth episode's denouement doesn't make the case you'd think for season 2.

After all, Wolfe's novel that inspired the miniseries was a standalone. The author has four other novels, but none of them take place within the same world as the misadventures of Charlie Croker. David E. Kelley, who created and wrote the series for Netflix, has a history of continuing supposed "limited" series, as he did with HBO's Big Little Lies. That should not, and likely will not, happen with A Man in Full.

Following its release, A Man in Full was met with mixed to negative reviews from critics, with Variety calling the series "empty" and IndieWire declaring it a "mess." Even The Hollywood Reporter attempted to point out the show's strengths, but sums it up by saying the show isn't "big enough, smart enough, funny enough, or outlandish enough." You can't argue with that, and we didn't in our own spoiler-free review of the show, which praised the cast but little else.

As The Hollywood Reporter wisely notes, the Netflix series left out much of the novel's plot, which could potentially be an entryway to a second season, but bringing this show back for another season — even if it's somehow as big of a viewership hit as Big Little Lies — would be a mistake. After the epic double death scene in episode 6, what more could you do to top that moment? The story has ended.

If A Man in Full does launch to successful numbers comparable to other limited series or other Netflix originals of similar genres, I wouldn't be surprised of the streamer continues to extend its relationship with David E. Kelley. The prolific writer and producer also created the Netflix hit series The Lincoln Lawyer, which returns for season 3 in 2025. Another show, not another season of this show, would and should be the way to go.

Watch A Man in Full only on Netflix.