What to expect from House Of Guinness Season 2, detail explored

House of Guinness | Image via Netflix
House of Guinness | Image via Netflix

House Of Guinness ended its first run in a calm, almost suspended way, as if the story had simply stopped to breathe. Created by Steven Knight, the series grew slowly but surely on Netflix, finding its place among the Top 10 English-language shows with about 5.2 million views and holding third place in the week of September 22–28, 2025, according to the platform’s data. With a 90% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, it managed to hold that rare balance between period drama and real history, the kind that draws people in without rushing, just letting the story unfold at its own quiet pace.

Netflix has not renewed it yet, but the ending feels temporary, almost waiting for the next step. Some of the actors have already spoken about wanting to return, and the story left its pieces still turning. Set around the Guinness family in 19th-century Ireland, the series follows what history confirms but lets imagination work between the lines. It shows power, family, and the strange calm that often hides behind success. What stays is not just the past it depicts, but the quiet way it reminds us that history never really ends, it just changes shape.

House of Guinness | Image via Netflix
House of Guinness | Image via Netflix

Arthur Guinness and the Parliament of 1874

Season 2 will probably begin where the last one stopped, with Arthur Guinness still deep in his campaign for Parliament. Historical accounts confirm that Sir Arthur Guinness won his seat for the City of Dublin in 1874, after a failed attempt in 1868 that was annulled when his agent was found guilty of election bribery. The victory defined his career for several years and marked his position among Ireland’s social elite.

The attempt on Arthur’s life by Patrick Cochrane in the series is a fictional creation. There is no record of any real attack. The storyline works as a dramatic layer that mirrors the tension between privilege and unrest in Dublin at that time. In the new episodes, this event will likely lead to Arthur’s recovery and the fallout from the political scandal that surrounded him.


Edward Guinness and the growth of the brewery

While Arthur steps into politics, Edward Guinness becomes the figure responsible for building the family’s lasting empire. In 1876, he bought Arthur’s share of the Guinness brewery for about £600,000, taking control of operations. Some reports place Arthur’s full departure in 1877, but all agree that Edward was the driving force behind the company’s expansion. Under his lead, the brewery turned into one of the most powerful industrial brands of the era.

This part of the story also connects with changes in Edward’s personal life. His marriage to Adelaide brought the birth of Rupert Edward Cecil Lee Guinness in 1874 and Arthur Ernest Guinness in 1876. Both became public figures later, and their arrival fits within the show’s timeline. The next season may frame this period as one of balance, success mixed with rivalry, and ambition shaped by family duty.

House of Guinness | Image via Netflix
House of Guinness | Image via Netflix

Anne Guinness Plunket and her work in charity

House Of Guinness gave Anne a quiet presence in season 1, but her role is rooted in verified history. In 1876, Anne Guinness Plunket founded the St. Patrick’s Nursing Home in Dublin, a charitable institution that offered care for the poor and elderly. The hospital also trained nurses for the Church of Ireland. Historical sources mention that Anne lived with a degenerative illness, though the exact condition remains uncertain. Some researchers suggest symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.

Her work in philanthropy forms one of the most human parts of the Guinness story. It reflects a social conscience emerging from privilege. The next season could expand this by showing how her illness and compassion intersected, shaping her as a figure of quiet strength in contrast to her brothers’ public battles for influence.


Benjamin Guinness and the gaps in the record

Compared to his siblings, Benjamin Guinness left a far smaller footprint in the historical record. He served as an army officer and received a smaller inheritance with strict terms, which limited his freedom. Beyond that, sources remain scarce. The lack of detail allows House Of Guinness to build its storyline with some creative flexibility, still aligned with historical boundaries.

Benjamin can serve as a lens through which the show explores the cost of family hierarchy. By giving voice to someone history largely forgot, the narrative keeps its realism but finds room to question power, legacy, and belonging inside the Guinness name.

House of Guinness | Image via Netflix
House of Guinness | Image via Netflix

The Fenians and the political undercurrent

The Fenian Brotherhood, also called the Irish Republican Brotherhood, remains at the heart of the show’s political tension. The movement pushed for Irish independence from British control and carried out several uprisings during the 1860s and 1870s. Historical sources mention little direct involvement between the Fenians and the Guinness family, but House Of Guinness uses them as a mirror for the unease surrounding Dublin’s upper circles.

Following the fictional attack on Arthur, Patrick Cochrane’s fate may shape much of the next season’s tone. His path ties together rebellion, loyalty, and fear, echoing the atmosphere of Ireland in that decade. Even though the storyline takes creative steps, the political mood remains close to what the country was facing then, a mix of unrest, change, and uncertainty that feels both distant and familiar.


What to expect next in House Of Guinness Season 2

The next season of House Of Guinness will likely center on the years 1874 to 1876, when the family’s political and financial power reached new heights. Verified milestones from this era, Arthur’s election, Edward’s control of the brewery, and Anne’s foundation of St. Patrick’s Nursing Home, provide a clear historical framework. Over those years, the show continues to move between accuracy and interpretation, keeping its dramatic rhythm without losing authenticity.

Netflix has not set a release window, but the success of the first season and the documented depth of the Guinness family make its return one of the most anticipated in period television. With its careful attention to historical coherence and emotional truth, House Of Guinness remains a series that transforms fact into story without breaking what history left behind.

Edited by Sohini Biswas