Some very good news for fans of Netflix crime thriller series Untamed — it’s officially set to return. The streamer has confirmed a second season of the Eric Bana-led series, which cracked the global Top 10 shortly after its debut and ended on a note that practically demanded more.
“I am absolutely thrilled that we get the chance to bring another season of Untamed to life,” Bana said in a statement. “The response to Season 1 has been a testament to the incredible effort by our crew to deliver something truly unique. I can’t wait to take Kyle on his next journey.”
A New Park, a New Case, and a Less Settled Turner
The six-episode first season introduced viewers to Kyle Turner, a weary but sharp ISB agent with the U.S. National Parks Service, played by Bana. Tasked with solving a gruesome murder in Yosemite, Turner’s investigation dug up not just secrets in the wilderness, but scars he hadn’t quite faced.
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Season 2 finds Turner in a very different headspace — and a very different environment.
“Turner was so comfortable in Yosemite,” said series co-creator and writer Mark L. Smith. “He was the one leading this charge, and people followed him. And now, [we’re] putting Kyle on his back foot, making him very uncomfortable.”
The next chapter will move away from Yosemite and into a national park that, creatively, feels as distinct as possible.
“We’ve done Yosemite. What’s the next park that could feel different from that?” co-creator Elle Smith told Tudum. “Each national park has such a different cultural identity, geographical identity.”
And it’s not just the location changing — Turner’s status will be flipped as well. “This time we get to follow Turner into a park and let him lead us, and we stumble along with him as he’s kind of finding his way,” Mark added.
That contrast is core to what Season 2 is aiming for: a new emotional rhythm, with Turner less sure of himself and more affected by the unfamiliar terrain.
Season 1 Was Originally Meant to Be the End
According to Smith, the show wasn’t initially set up as an ongoing series. But the experience of building it — and watching the cast click — made the creators reconsider.
“Elle and I envisioned it as a stand-alone, six episodes,” Smith said. “But then the more that we got into it, it was just such a great cast … it was just like, ‘Oh yeah, how do we keep this going?’”
As for the plot, don’t expect another body on a cliff.
“We can make the case organic to a different kind of park, a different kind of landscape, [and] not have someone just fall off another mountain,” Smith said. The team plans to make the setting feel alive again — just like Yosemite did in Season 1.
“Our theme has been that this park is our main character,” Elle added. “Whichever park we choose will be a character and it will kind of play a role in Turner’s emotional frame of mind.”
Will Season 1 Cast Members Return?
While Bana’s Turner is the only confirmed returnee, the creators are open to bringing back familiar faces.
“We’re trying to figure that stuff out because my God, we loved our cast and we loved the characters that they brought to life,” Smith teased. “In an ideal world, we would be able to pull something off.”
Who Made The Untamed and Who Was in It?
Bana (Dirty John, Troy) serves as both star and executive producer. The series was created by Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith, who also write and executive produce. Other executive producers include John Wells (Maid, Shameless), Escape Artists Entertainment (The Equalizer 3), Steve Lee Jones for Bee Holder Productions (Chief of Station), and Cliff Roberts (The Midnight Sky). It’s a co-production with Warner Bros. Television Studios.
Season 1 also starred Sam Neill as longtime Yosemite ranger Paul Souter, Rosemarie DeWitt as Turner’s ex-wife Jill, Lily Santiago as rookie ranger Naya Vasquez, and Wilson Bethel as loner wildlife officer Shane Maguire.
No word yet on when filming begins or where exactly Turner’s next stop will be — but it sounds like the wilderness still has plenty more in store for him.
