High On The Hog Season 2: Info We Know So Far

Season 1 of the Netflix docuseries "High on the Hog" revealed how the Black people who pioneered American cuisine represented "the very best of the United States of America," as a great-niece of Thomas Jefferson's enslaved chef said in the third episode. The series, subtitled "How African American Cuisine Transformed America," got a perfect 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and Esquire called the show "revolutionary." 

The timing of the release of Season 1, in May, aligned it with a broader effort within American culture to retell the nation's history with more acknowledgment of the contributions — and the suffering — of African Americans. Did it ever occur to you, for example, that the credit for the many recipes Martha Washington is known for should probably go to the first president's enslaved chef? And did you know that in order to bargain for his freedom, Jefferson's chef James Hemings had to train his younger brother to replace him, essentially setting his sibling up for long-term slavery?

"High on the Hog" told the story of how American food is Black food. But if you think it told the full story in just four episodes, you'd be wrong. There's more to tell.

Netflix announced on Tuesday, August 10, that it will air a second season of "High on the Hog," according to Deadline. "The next chapter of High on the Hog has many more beautiful untold histories," executive producers Karis Jagger and Fabienne Toback said. "Numerous people reached out to ask us if there would be more, and we are incredibly excited that Netflix has agreed to another season. The best is yet to come."

Fans of the show are probably wondering, "Come when?" Per The New York Times, the release date for Season 2 of "High on the Hog" hasn't been set yet. Even the shooting schedule is still to be determined. The four episodes of Season 1 took several months to film — from fall 2019 until sometime in early 2020, just before the entertainment industry and most everything else was shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (via Forbes). Then Netflix waited more than a year before releasing Season 1 in May 2021. Now that "High on the Hog" is a known — and beloved — quantity, it's hard to imagine Netflix sitting on Season 2 very long after it wraps. Depending on the trajectory of the pandemic, episodes could begin filming later this year and possibly into early next year. In any case, it seems reasonable to anticipate a 2022 release of "High on the Hog" Season 2.

"High on the Hog" is a food and travel show, so it's about places as much as it is about food. It's also a history show, so as we look forward to Season 2 we can't help but wonder not just about the foods we'll learn about, but also the places and the history. Season 1 opened in Benin, Africa, at the port where slaves were shipped to America. The final episode shows a Texas celebration of Juneteenth, or Black independence day, which recognizes the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston learned they were free.

Where does "High on the Hog" go from there? The New York Times reported that Season 1 of "High on the Hog" tracks with the first half of the book by the same name that inspired the show. Executive Producer Fabienne Toback told the Times that Season 2 will probably be based on the second half of Dr. Jessica Harris' 2011 book. An excerpt of the book version of "High on the Hog," from Apple Books, shows that later chapters are about the Great Migration to the West, Black entrepreneurs, and the civil rights movement. All of these topics may come up in Season 2 of "High on the Hog." The New York Times said the second season may also include an examination of how COVID-19 affected race and the restaurant industry.

Stephen Satterfield, who hosted Season 1 of "High on the Hog," is coming back for Season 2. Satterfield announced Season 2 on his Instagram account on August 10. "Can't believe we get to run it back," he wrote in his caption. "Still in awe, still on the job."

"High on the Hog" was Satterfield's first television gig, according to Forbes. A thumbnail history of his path through food and media can be found on a separate Instagram post from July 9. Satterfield is a sommelier with a social conscience. In 2007, he started a nonprofit to support Black-owned wineries in South Africa. In 2017, he launched a magazine called Whetstone, with a goal of diversifying the voices telling stories about food. Whetstone for a time was the only Black-owned food publication in the United States. The magazine's website says it has enabled people from more than 80 countries to tell their stories. Given Satterfield's push to diversify voices, "High on the Hog" is a natural fit for his career.

Netflix gave Satterfield and the show's Black creators just what they needed: space. On yet another Instagram post, from the day after "High on the Hog" came out, Satterfield commented, "The results are wonderful when you give Black folks the space to create unencumbered." He went on to say, "Whoever owns the power owns the story. ... 'High on the Hog' is a potent narrative correction."