Netflix yet to commission second season of Tour de France: Unchained documentary

The producers of the new Netflix series Tour de France: Unchained are still waiting for the second season to be commissioned, less than three weeks before the 2023 race begins. 

The first season, which was produced by Quadbox and Box To Box Films, came out last week, and was met with praise from the cycling community. 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, executive producer James Gay-Rees revealed he is yet to receive the green light for season two, even though filming has begun.  

“We’re just doing a bit of development basically,” he said. “We won’t know if we’re making it until a bit later. At the same time, we can’t entirely wait until then, because it will be too late. So we have to do a little bit of gentle development now, just to make sure that we’re there or thereabouts if it does get greenlit.

“It hasn’t been commissioned yet, so fingers crossed. But if we were to get it, there would be a slightly different blend of teams, some returning characters, some not probably. You can’t make the same show over and over again.” 

For season one, camera crews embedded within seven teams at the 2022 Tour de France, capturing behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews.

Notably absent was UAE Team Emirates, the squad of two-time champion Tadej Pogačar, whose presence is felt at an arm’s length. 

“I think they had various reasons for [not taking part],” Gay-Rees explained, before adding that he hopes the team will be involved in a potential second season. “You can live in hope,” he said. 

Asked what more viewers can expect from future seasons, the producer said: “Maybe a little bit more insight into the private lives, the non-racing lives that we got last time, just to kind of humanise [the riders] a bit more. I think it's very much through the lens of the actual set piece at the moment."

Gay-Rees also revealed that plans have been discussed for a series surrounding the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.  

“I’m not sure if we’re going to have the chance to do it this year," he said, "but I know it has been discussed.

“It would be its own separate thing, I imagine. That is a conversation that hopefully will happen at some point in the near future.”