A young woman in 1900 Australia is determined to forge her way to financial independence through writing in My Brilliant Career, a Netflix adaptation of the Miles Franklin novel published in 1901. Philippa Northeast plays the spitfire protagonist Sybylla Melvyn in the series, which premiered on August 13 with all six episodes.
The story is very complete in the end, but it also tees things up for a potential second season. Will there be a My Brilliant Career Season 2? There is a sequel novel it could adapt. Plus, the series is already in the Netflix Top 10 the day after it premiered. Here’s what we know. Warning: My Brilliant Career Season 1 finale spoilers ahead.
Is My Brilliant Career renewed for Season 2?
As of the time of publication, there is no word on whether there will be a second season, but Northeast told TV Insider that Sybylla’s ending makes her ripe for new adventures. The actress is interested in seeing where Sybylla’s journey takes her next.
“I want to see this character in other landscapes being challenged by other environments,” Northeast said. “Where will she go? Which train will she go on next? What will she learn next from a different environment? I think it’s a character that’s [ripe] for new landscapes.”
However, Northeast does admit that the My Brilliant Career ending, in which Sybylla rejects lover Harry Beecham’s (Christopher Chung) proposal in an act of self-love, is a satisfying ending. She loves the closing moment when Sybylla waits for a train taking her off on the next adventure in her career pursuits because “it encapsulates everything that she’s been through and the growth that she’s made at that point.”
Is there a My Brilliant Career sequel?
Ian Routledge/Netflix © 2026
Yes, Franklin did write a follow-up novel to the book that made her famous. While it was written between 1902 and 1904, it wasn’t published until decades later in 1946. The book is called My Career Goes Bung, and it depicts Sybylla as a successful author after publishing her autobiography, but the publication doesn’t go over very smoothly with people who feel they see themselves in the story and don’t take kindly to the depictions.
Here’s the description for My Career Goes Bung: “In this sequel to Miles Franklin’s famous novel My Brilliant Career, once again we encounter the enchanting Sybylla Melvyn. She’s a little older now, catapulted from bush obscurity into sudden fame with the publication of her autobiography. Sybylla goes to fashionable Sydney to further her career in the literary world, but her patrons, her critics and her innumerable suitors meet more than they bargained for in the willful Sybylla. My Career Goes Bung was written in 1900 but was not published until 1946, considered too audacious and perhaps too revealing of its creator’s own persona for publication.”
Whether the Australian Netflix series chooses to adapt this book in a potential second season, we’d definitely want updates on what happened between Sybylla and Harry after she rejected his proposal. Could the couple that’s very much in love find a way to live a life together after Sybylla’s career takes off?
Who is in the Netflix My Brilliant Career cast?
Northeast stars as Sybylla, with Christopher Chung as Harry, Anna Chancellor as Mrs. Bossier, Andor‘s Genevieve O’Reilly as Helen, Kate Mulvany (Hunters, Elvis) as Augusta, Jake Dunn (Renegade Nell) as Frank, Alexander England (Black Snow, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) as Julius, Sherry-Lee Watson (Heartbreak High) as Nell, and Miah Madden (Paper Dolls, The Clearing) as Betty.
Stay tuned as we continue to report the latest on My Brilliant Career.
My Brilliant Career, Available now, Netflix