Ripple star Ian Harding teases Nate and Kris’ story in a potential Season 2, hints it’ll be ‘very organic’

Ripple quietly became one of Netflix’s most talked-about comfort dramas this holiday season. The show was first planned for Hallmark+, which now feels like a very different timeline.

Netflix gave it space to be messier, sadder, and more honest, and Ian Harding believes that change made all the difference. He says the series landing on Netflix felt like “a gift” rather than a compromise. Harding admits he was relieved when the show found its way to Netflix. He feels the platform allowed the story to take real risks.

Nate’s ending in Season 1 is not clean or comforting, and that choice fits Netflix viewers better than a feel-good wrap-up. The response so far has been emotional and personal. Harding says people genuinely connect with the Ripple's narrative:

“The fact that it was able to see the light of day and land on Netflix is just…I’m so happy. I’m so proud of it and grateful that people seem to be connecting with it.”

In Ripple, Nate owns a small wine bar that is barely staying afloat and his marriage to Claire is already fragile when the story begins, and then comes the cancer diagnosis.

Everything piles up at once, and Harding says that the weight felt familiar at this stage of his own life. Nate is not heroic or polished. He feels tired, scared, and unsure most of the time:

“Then he gets hit with this cancer diagnosis, and he is feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders…I can immediately relate to that, being at this stage of my life. And Michele weaves it brilliantly between these different storylines.”

Let's explore everything he had to say about Ripple seasons 1 and 2.

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Ripple star Ian Harding teases Nate and Kris’ story in a potential Season 2

Netflix has not announced a renewal yet. Harding has already spoken with creator Michele Giannusa, and he hints that Nate and Kris would meet again later in life. The timing would feel earned, not rushed, and he describes their next chapter as “very organic.” There is no forced drama or sudden changes in character:

“I know, having talked with Michele about if there is a Season 2, knock on wood, that they’re going to meet again in this sort of new landscape that they find themselves in. And I think it’s rich. The next chapter of their lives will make total sense and be very organic.”

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What else did Ian Harding share about Ripple

A simple mishap pulls Nate into the lives of three strangers. Walter is dealing with grief after losing his wife, Aria wants a family more than anything else and Kris carries deep trauma from her past life in the music industry.

Ripple leans into chance meetings and quiet connections. Here. nothing feels planned, yet everything feels linked.

Kris slowly becomes a steady presence in Nate’s life. Their bond grows without forcing romance too early, and Harding praises Julia Chan for how she handles emotional scenes. He says she understands silence and restraint.

In particular, one shared scene stayed with him after filming:

"She’s amazing. We have this one scene where, without giving anything away, but it’s kind of heartbreaking. And I watched the scene and went, ‘I know exactly how this scene would go in less capable hands.’ Julia is able to just work with a moment and play with it and hit this nuanced note that, if you didn’t understand these characters, if you didn’t understand the complexity, other actors might not have been able to reach.”

Their chemistry adds tension rather than comfort, and Claire’s support during chemo only makes things harder:

“There was nothing simple about it. It’s not a simple story.”

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Why did Nate walk away in the finale?

Nate chooses neither Claire nor Kris at the end of Ripple Season 1, and leaves town to try an experimental treatment. Harding believes that choice makes sense for the character. He says Nate needs to sit with himself first, and illness forces honesty you can’t avoid.

Dragging someone else into that uncertainty feels unfair to him:

“Obviously, not to sound narcissistic or anything like that, but I think he’s [had] this wild journey where he has to address so much about himself. Illness will hold a mirror to your life, and I think he is at this place where it’s not fair, in his mind, to drag either of these people with him through this experience when it’s not guaranteed what the outcome is going to be.”

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The meaning behind the ending

Harding sees the Ripple finale as hopeful, not sad, and each character reaches a clearer place emotionally. Problems remain, but the noise quiets.

The show focuses on self-understanding rather than romance, and that theme runs through every narrative:

"What he’s doing is something that’s very healthy…and not to ruin it, but the beautiful message is that all of these people [found] themselves at the end of the show. There were feelings of insecurity and loss and confusion for everybody at the top, and they come to a place where the issues are still real — things are still tough — but they’ve all come into themselves, in a way. And I think that’s really beautiful.”

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Why are fans watching closely?

Ripple thrives on emotional patience, and it trusts viewers to sit with discomfort. Harding believes that trust is rare on TV now. So, a second season could deepen that approach. Nate and Kris never become a simple “will they or won’t they” story, and their connection exists, then steps back. That restraint makes it linger longer in the viewer’s mind, and the ending leaves space instead of answers.

Nate choosing himself feels honest, not dramatic. It avoids the easy win of pairing him with someone. That choice respects the character’s mental and physical state. It also respects the audience’s intelligence, and fans keep talking because the story feels unfinished in a good way. There is closure, of course, but not finality, and every character ends Season 1 changed, but not solved. That balance invites curiosity rather than frustration.

A second season would not need to reset anything, and it could simply pick up where life continues. That quiet confidence is why Ripple stays with people. For now, the story feels complete yet open, and that makes the wait worth it.