The cliffhanger literally changed everything. When Janet jumped into Maddie’s body and sped off in that beat-up truck, leaving Maddie's spirit standing in the driveway, the entire premise of the show flipped on its head. We spent the first season mourning a girl who wasn't actually dead. Well, her body isn't dead. Her soul? That's a different story. School Spirits Season 2 is finally happening, and honestly, the stakes have never been higher for the Split River High ghost squad.
Production kicked off in Vancouver during the summer of 2024. Fans were scouring social media for any crumb of information, and Paramount+ finally started feeding us. It’s a relief. Waiting for renewals these days feels like a gamble, but the numbers for the first season were too good to ignore.
What’s Actually Happening with Maddie Nears?
Maddie is in a unique, albeit terrifying, position. Most of the ghosts at Split River are "fixed" in their state because their physical remains are, well, remains. But Maddie’s body is walking around, breathing, and likely causing a massive amount of trouble under Janet’s control.
👉 See also: Why Good Times Season 4 Was the Beginning of the End
This isn't just a possession story. It’s a identity theft story on a supernatural scale.
The biggest question for School Spirits Season 2 is how the living characters—specifically Simon—will handle the fallout. Simon spent the entire first season being the bridge between the living and the dead. He was the only one who could see Maddie. But at the end of the finale, he thinks he’s losing his mind. He thinks "Maddie" (Janet) ignored him. He thinks the Maddie he was talking to was just a grief-induced hallucination. Breaking that wall down again is going to be painful to watch.
Peyton List has been vocal about how much she loves playing the darker, more confused version of Maddie. In various interviews, she’s hinted that the "living" version of herself—Janet in Maddie's body—is going to be a total wildcard. She’s not just some ghost; she’s a ghost who has been trapped for decades and finally has a taste of freedom. She isn't going to give that up without a fight.
The New Faces Joining the Afterlife
We aren't just sticking with the original crew. Variety and Deadline confirmed several new casting additions for the upcoming episodes. Josh Zuckerman, who plays Mr. Martin, has been upped to a series regular, which makes sense considering he’s basically the "big bad" now. We need to know what his deal is. Why was he collecting artifacts? Why was he obsessed with the way the ghosts died?
There are also new students and potentially new ghosts.
- Jess Gabor joins the cast in a recurring role.
- Zack Calderon and Miles Elliot are also coming aboard.
The dynamic in the fallout shelter is going to shift. Charley, Wally, and Rhonda are no longer just "hanging out" waiting for the end of time. They have a mission now. They know Mr. Martin was lying to them. They know he was researching them like lab rats. That realization changes the tone from a supernatural teen drama to something more akin to a psychological thriller.
The Janet Mystery and the Fire of 1958
We need to talk about the fire. The show has slowly peeled back the layers of what happened at Split River High before Maddie arrived. We know Mr. Martin and Janet died in a fire in the lab. We also know, thanks to the finale’s revelations, that the fire wasn't just an accident.
Mr. Martin has been gaslighting these kids for years.
In School Spirits Season 2, expect the 1950s timeline to play a huge role. We’ll likely see flashbacks to the day of the fire. Was Janet a victim, or was she an accomplice? Some fans think she was trying to escape Mr. Martin even back then. If she was, her taking over Maddie’s body might not be purely malicious—it might be an act of absolute desperation. It doesn't make it right, but it makes it complicated.
Where the Story Goes Next
The show has to balance three separate plates now.
- The Ghost World: Maddie and the crew trying to stop Mr. Martin and find a way to get Maddie back into her body.
- The Living World: Nicole, Xavier, and Simon trying to figure out why "Maddie" is acting so strange and where she’s been.
- The Possession: Janet-as-Maddie trying to navigate a modern world she doesn't understand while presumably running away from the town of Split River.
It’s a lot. Showrunners Nate Trinrud and Megan Trinrud have mentioned that the bridge between the living and the dead is "thinner than ever." This suggests that Simon might not be the only one who starts seeing things. Or perhaps, the way Maddie interacts with the world will change.
If Janet is in Maddie's body, does Maddie still have a tether to it? In many occult lores, a soul has a "silver cord" to its body. If that cord isn't cut, Maddie isn't technically dead. She’s just displaced. That’s a huge distinction. It means there is a ticking clock. If Janet stays in there too long, or if the body is damaged, Maddie might become a permanent resident of the high school hallways.
Addressing the Simon Problem
Honestly, my heart breaks for Simon. Kristian Ventura plays the "grieving best friend" with so much sincerity that it’s hard to watch him struggle. At the end of Season 1, he’s convinced he’s had a mental breakdown. He burned the photo. He’s trying to move on.
For Maddie to get back to him, she’s going to have to prove she’s real all over again. But how do you do that when the person you're talking to has already decided you're a figment of their imagination? It’s a classic trope, but School Spirits handles it with more emotional weight than your average CW show.
The chemistry between the cast is one of the show's strongest suits. The bond between Maddie and Charley (Nick Pugliese) is arguably the emotional core of the ghost side. Charley is the mentor she needs, especially now that they know their "teacher," Mr. Martin, is the villain. Expect Charley to step up in a big way this season. He’s been dead the longest (aside from the 50s crew), and he has the most to lose if the afterlife equilibrium is destroyed.
Production Details and Release Window
Paramount+ has been relatively quiet about the exact date, but following the production cycle, a late 2025 or early 2026 release is the standard trajectory. They want to keep the momentum. The first season became a sleeper hit on Netflix after its initial run on Paramount+, which gave it a massive second life. This "Netflix Effect" is likely why the budget and the scope for School Spirits Season 2 seem to have increased.
✨ Don't miss: Hurt You: Why the Toni Braxton and Babyface Reunion Actually Worked
They are filming again in the Greater Vancouver area, using the same atmospheric, slightly gloomy backdrops that made Split River feel so isolated. The high school itself is practically a character. Its lockers, boiler rooms, and stadiums hold the echoes of every student who didn't make it out.
Why This Show Hits Differently
Most teen supernatural shows go for the "monster of the week" vibe. School Spirits doesn't. It’s a character study about trauma and the things we leave unfinished.
Every ghost in that school represents a life cut short by something mundane or tragic. Wally (Milo Manheim) isn't a hero; he’s a kid who died trying to please his mom on the football field. Rhonda is a girl who was betrayed by a person she trusted. These aren't just ghosts; they are scars.
Season 2 is going to dive deeper into those scars. We’re going to find out why Rhonda is so cynical and why Wally is so desperate for approval even in death. And we’re definitely going to find out what Mr. Martin did with all those objects he stole from them. Those objects are "thin spots"—items that hold a connection to the living world. By taking them, Mr. Martin wasn't just collecting souvenirs; he was hording power.
Practical Steps for Fans Waiting for the Drop
While we wait for the official premiere, there are a few things you can do to stay ahead of the curve. The lore of the show is dense, and small details from Season 1 are definitely going to come back to haunt us—literally.
- Rewatch the Finale: Pay close attention to the background of the fallout shelter. There are papers and drawings on Mr. Martin's desk that flash by quickly. They hint at his experiments regarding how "energy" is transferred between the two planes.
- Follow the Cast: Peyton List and Sarah Yarkin (Rhonda) are pretty active on Instagram. They often post "behind the scenes" photos that give away which characters are filming together. If we see Maddie and Janet-in-Maddie in the same frame, we’re looking at some serious dream-sequence or out-of-body-experience episodes.
- Track the Soundtrack: The music in the first season was top-tier. The show uses music to signal shifts between the 80s, 90s, and present day. Keeping an ear out for the Season 2 playlist might give clues about which era's ghosts we're going to meet next.
- Check Paramount+ International Schedules: Sometimes the show drops a few hours early in different regions. If you’re dodging spoilers, stay off Twitter (X) starting the night before the announced US release.
The mystery of Maddie Nears isn't over; it’s just shifted from "Who killed her?" to "How does she get her life back?" It’s a much more interesting question. It forces the characters to stop looking at the past and start fighting for a future, even if that future looks a little ghostly.
We’re heading back to Split River High soon. Just remember: don’t trust the teacher, and definitely don’t go into the basement alone.
Actionable Next Steps
📖 Related: Free State of Jones: What Most People Get Wrong About Newton Knight
To prepare for the new episodes, verify your Paramount+ subscription status or check if the series is still streaming on Netflix in your region, as licensing agreements often shift before a new season launch. You can also set a Google Alert for "School Spirits Season 2 premiere date" to get an immediate notification the second the official trailer drops, which usually happens 4-6 weeks before the air date. Finally, if you've forgotten the specific rules of the "ghost world" established in the first few episodes, rewatching Episode 3 ("The Dead and the Confused") is the best way to refresh your memory on how ghosts can and cannot interact with physical objects.