Where is Maid set and will there be a season 2 of the Netflix show?

The Netflix series has proven to be a hit with fans and many are wondering where is Maid set and will there be a season 2?

It's a thought-provoking drama focusing on themes of domestic abuse, poverty and family. Audiences have sympathised with protagonist Alex - a young mum-of-one turned maid - who hopes for a better future with her child after fleeing an abusive relationship.

The series joins the hugely popular Netflix show Squid Game (opens in new tab), plus BBC dramas Guilt series 2 (opens in new tab) and The Outlaws (opens in new tab) as binge-worthy television that's keeping us entertained this autumn. And fans of Maid have several questions on where the show is set, if it's a true story and will it be returning for a second season? We reveal everything we know so far.

Where is Maid set?

Netflix show Maid is set in Washington state, USA. 

Though the location is real, Alex's hometown of Port Hampstead is fictional as is the wealthy Fisher Island - where the mum carries out her cleaning duties.

Port Hampstead is said to be inspired by the real-life Port Townsend where the show's author lived. And though there is a real Fisher Island in Washington where Maid is set, it is in fact just a small uninhabited piece of land. Fisher Island is based instead on Whitby Island near to Port Townsend.

Whilst the series is based in Washington state, it was actually filmed in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Over 160 different locations in Victoria were used for filming. With most of the scenes shot in the south-east of Vancouver Island.

The city of Colwood is where scenes for Port Hampstead were shot, whilst Ten Mile Point is the location for Fisher Island.

Fans of the show can visit these real-life locations of the show in British Colombia. The Sidney Pier, Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal and the Great Canadian Dollar Store are also in the same area and also appear in the series.

Maid creator and showrunner Molly Smith Metzler was full of praise for the show's location:

"I don't want to contribute to it blowing up as the new Vancouver," she told Times Colonist. "But frankly, it has everything you want when you're shooting, plus that feeling of being somewhere very warm and special."

Filming for the show took place over seven months, starting in September 2020. The show wrapped in early April this year.

According to production notes, wardrobe and set decorations were all donated to charities based in Victoria after filming finished.

How many episodes of Maid are on Netflix?

There are 10 episodes of Maid on Netflix in total.

All 10 episodes were made available on October 1, 2021, when the series dropped on Netflix.

Each episode is around an hour long, though two are just 48 minutes in length.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGtaHcqsSE8

Maid actress: Margaret Qualley

Audiences are bound to recognise 26-year-old actress Margaret Qualley who plays Maid's lead character Alex.

The US actress most recently starred in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This was arguably her biggest role before Maid.

She is the daughter of model and actress Andie MacDowell - best known for her role in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Groundhog Day. And Margaret's famous mum also stars in the Netflix series - as wait for it - her onscreen mum.

Real-life mum Andie plays Paula, Alex's distant mother who is described as "undiagnosed bipolar" and "MIA" in the show's trailer.

Margaret opened up on what it was like to film with her mum to American ELLE (opens in new tab):

"I mean, with my mom, we both know we’re just playing pretend," she said. "I just felt so lucky to have her there ‘cause she’s such an incredible actor. Having the opportunity to share a scene with her was surreal and exciting, and I was honoured that she said yes to doing the part."

Maid cast:

There's further scene-stealing performances by the supporting cast in the Netflix series which includes:

• Nick Robinson (Love Simon, A Teacher) plays abusive partner Sean.
• Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls) plays Regina, one of Alex's wealthy clients.
• Billy Burke (Twilight) plays Alex's father Hank.
• Raymond Ablack (Degrassi: The Next Generation) plays Alex's friend Nate.

5-year-old actress Rylea Nevaeh Whittet also makes her TV debut as Alex's daughter Maddy in Maid. And it's safe to say she's a young star in the making.

Margaret told Vanity Fair (opens in new tab) that her "biggest hurdle to get over [was] to be a believable mom." And to achieve this, she spent a lot of time with Rylea and her family during production.

"My mission was focused on Rylea the whole time...to make sure that she felt cozy and safe in my arms,” she said. "We’d go through the scenes for the week together. If we were supposed to go to the grocery store, we’d go to the grocery store. I’d cook her pancakes—and vegan ones. They tasted bad because I’d never cooked vegan pancakes before."

Fans were delighted to learn that their close bond continues post-Maid too. With Margaret sharing an adorable video of Rylea singing to her in late October.

"TAD POOLS AND BAYS. My mom sang this to me when I was little so I sang it to Reilly (Maddy) on set when she was supposed to be sleeping," the caption read. "The little angel would send me a bedtime video every night. I got real lucky! Needless to say, the Reilly remix is gold. MAID."

Is Maid a true story?

Yes, Netflix show Maid is a true story that is based on a book by Stephanie Land.

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive (opens in new tab) is a memoir about Stephanie's life, who worked as a maid cleaning for the rich in Washington State, USA, after finding herself homeless and a single mother in her early 20s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4m7_qGFuq4

It details the harsh realities of her work as a cleaner, sharing how clients would often not bother to learn her name whilst she worked for them for just $8.55-an-hour.

"I learned just how invisible that job is," she told The Telegraph (opens in new tab), adding: "It’s mainly unnoticed."

Stephanie is who the character of Alex is based on. Though the author is now a happily married mother-of-three and successful author.

The 43-year-old succeeded in her dream of becoming a writer despite her brush with poverty. She graduated with a BA in English at the University of Montana after ending her cleaning career.

Whilst she no longer works as a maid, Stephanie still uses her voice to forward better opportunities for cleaners and even campaigned for those who hire cleaners to still pay them during the coronavirus pandemic.

Will there be a season 2 of Maid?

There are currently no plans for a second season of Maid.

Maid is classified as a 'limited series' on Netflix. And fans might be disappointed to learn that this usually means that it is a one series offering only.

However, sometimes the huge success of a show can often make production bosses reconsider - as was the case with HBO's Big Little Lies. So as the saying goes - never say never.

Maid creator and showrunner Molly Smith Metzler has also shared that she'd be up for another season. But she isn't sure what Alex's narrative would be in a second series:

"I will say that this is such a labor of love, this show," she told Decider (opens in new tab). "I’m in love with all these characters, and I could write Alex for the rest of my life. You know, she’s just in my heart. But I do feel like we tell her story, so I’m not sure what that would look like."

We'll be keeping an eye out on any Maid developments in the meantime though, so watch this space.

And if you're looking for more exciting stuff to watch, Tiger King 2 (opens in new tab) and Marvel's Eternals comes out in the UK (opens in new tab) in November while No Time To Die (opens in new tab) is still available to watch in cinemas too.

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