Writer Charlie Covell, who created new Netflix drama Kaos, has spoken to NME about the show’s retro soundtrack, plans for a second season and whether they’d return to the universe of hit teen series The End Of The F***ing World.
Kaos is set in a modern time where Greek gods such as Zeus (Jeff Goldblum) exist and are still worshipped as they were by ancient peoples. The plot centres around newly fictionalised characters from classic myths (Eurydice, Dionysus etc.) – and a prophecy which foretells a popular rebellion and the overthrowing of the gods.
Released last week (August 30) to general critical acclaim, it debuted at number four in Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched shows with 22.8million hours watched across 3.4million households. Social media chatter about a possible continuation of the story has been growing ever since – and Covell already has plans for “two more” seasons.
“That would be my dream,” they told NME. “I’ve got a pretty clear plan of what I want to do with it, so I just have to hope.”
Covell hasn’t got as far as writing their plan down in fine, episode-by-episode detail or drafting new scripts, but said they have “a structure idea for where the story would go”.
“I’ve got a document that’s like, ‘This is what I think the plot would be’, and then I have another document of random ideas… Could we take this [Greek] myth? Or could we do this? You know, almost like an ideas bucket… I keep updating [the documents] when I have any ideas.”
They added: “And that’s what I did to develop the first season. It was a bunch of random ideas, half of which did not go in. Maybe they’ll come in for another season. The process is quite chaotic.”
One of the most distinctive parts of Kaos is its retro-flavoured soundtrack which includes a wide array of classic songs from the 2010s to the 1940s. ABBA, David Bowie, Elastica, Metronomy and even Judy Garland were just some of the artists Covell used to flesh out their “expansive” and “multifacted” creation. “The world needed to feel massive,” they said, “and needed to have a varied soundtrack.”
One big influence on the music of Kaos, Covell revealed, was Baz Luhrmann’s much-loved soundtrack to his 1996 cult favourite Romeo + Juliet. “That album is how I discovered so many artists,” they said. “You’ve got Radiohead, you’ve got such a variety on there. And it just feels right as a piece.”
However, Covell was keen that the song choices on Kaos didn’t come off as “kitsch” – and so played around with some of the placements. During one scene in episode one, the young son of Zeus – Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan) – dances in a packed nightclub to ABBA’s 1979 smash ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’ but Covell chose to cut the song and scene just as the chorus starts. “[Our soundtrack] is tongue-in-cheek too,” they explained. “Hopefully we’re doing something [a bit more] with it.”
To cap off the final episode, Covell chose Paul Simon‘s satirical 1986 bop ‘I Know What I Know’. “That was always written in [to the script] as the final track and I couldn’t believe we got it,” they said. “I was like, ‘I’m never going to get Paul Simon for the end,’ especially because people don’t often watch the credits on Netflix… It’s going to be more expensive than the other [song choices] and you’ve got to fit in the budget.”
Covell is perhaps best known for writing The End Of The F***ing World – the hugely popular coming-of-age thriller that was commissioned by Channel 4 before it blew up on Netflix later. The show, which starred Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden as two runaway teens wanted for the murder of a serial rapist, released its second season in 2019. Covell has said multiple times since that their are no plans for new episodes, but told NME that “you should never say never” when it comes to a future revival.
“Because then, you know, what if you change your mind? Who knows?” they added. “I would be so loathe to do something in years to come that didn’t live up to [the original]. I think the only way I’d ever do it would be if there was a really strong idea. And everyone was like, ‘Oh, we have to tell that story!’ As opposed to, ‘Oh, should we, for the sake of it, do a season three?’ If someone came up with an absolutely amazing idea for something to happen in season three then I would hate to think I wouldn’t jump on it – but I also feel like sometimes it’s best to leave things as they are. And I love where we left it. I think it’s OK to leave people wanting more.”
Covell went on to rule out returning to the project for a spin-off with different main characters. “I can’t see that show without James and Alyssa… You could do spinoffs, but
I just think, for me, Alex [Lawther] and Jess [Barden] are so integral to it. I would feel a bit weird doing without them, I think.”
‘Kaos’ is streaming on Netflix now