As someone who has been stuck at home on limited activity since having surgery a month ago, I’ve been in dire need of good content to binge — and you know what? Netflix hasn’t let me down. They steamed my screen up with The Hunting Wives. They had us all laughing-until-we-cried with Happy Gilmore 2. And they also delivered a couldn’t-stop-watching piece of mystery-thriller perfection with the limited series Untamed, starring Eric Bana.
Even better? After the series hit #1 on the streamer and earned praise from both critics and viewers alike, Netflix decided to pull a Four Seasons and pivot away from the original “limited” label in favor of a second season.
Yep, we’ll be heading back to the wilderness for Untamed Season 2, thanks to the show’s breakout success. Here’s everything we know so far about the surprise renewal of one of the most talked-about thrillers of the summer.
Has Untamed officially been renewed?
Looks like it! The show, which premiered on July 17, was originally billed as a six-episode limited series. However, it quickly surged to the top of Netflix’s Global Top 10 English-language shows list, racking up 24.6 million views during its first week.
In addition to its massive streaming reach, Untamed garnered strong reviews all around, currently holding an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety critic Aramide Tinubu dubbed the show a “wholly distinctive” entry in the streaming thriller genre,” pointing out how skillfully it weaves together everything from “previous investigations to Indigenous practices and complex human relationships.”
What is Untamed about?
Set in the breathtaking yet brutal terrain of Yosemite National Park, Untamed follows National Park Service investigative special agent Kyle Turner, played by Eric Bana. As the show unfolds, viewers are drawn into a high-stakes mystery that combines wilderness survival, missing persons cases, and morally gray areas.
The show’s sweeping cinematography and slow-burn structure have already drawn comparisons to critical hits like True Detective and Wind River. Personally, it reminds me a lot of Bana’s recent run as Aaron Falk in the also-nature-based movies The Dry and Force of Nature: The Dry 2. All of that to say, it really is a riveting watch — and it’s great to see Bana step into these broody, complex roles.
Who else is in the cast?
Yes, let’s talk about the cast, because it is top-tier. Lily Santiago stars as Turner’s partner, Naya Vasquez, and I’d like to go ahead and start a petition for her to lead a spinoff if Bana ever decides to leave the series.
Sam Neill (yes, our beloved Dr. Grant) turns out a truly memorable performance that will honestly sort of rip your heart right out of your chest. You’ve been warned. Rosemarie DeWitt shines as Turner’s ex-wife, with William Smillie, Joe Holt, and Josh Randall rounding out the ensemble.
What will Season 2 be about?
Following the renewal announcement, Bana expressed his excitement in a statement, saying, “I am absolutely thrilled that we get the chance to bring another season of Untamed to life. 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.”
So, right away, we know that Bana’s Kyle Turner will be back at the center of the series. But since we saw him riding off into the proverbial sunset and away from Yosemite, does that mean we won’t see the rest of the Season 1 cast?
It’s unclear at the moment.
According to co-creators Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith, Bana’s grizzled park veteran will be looking into an entirely new mystery. “Elle and I envisioned it as a standalone, six episodes,” Mark told Tudum. “But the more we got into it, it was just such a great cast … it was like, ‘Oh yeah, how do we keep this going?’”
And what they realized is that the key lies in Turner’s career — real-life investigative park agents travel from park to park. “This won’t be the first park he’s been in since Yosemite,” Mark explains. “He’s been to a lot of parks. He’s been busy, taking on a lot of classes. This will be the latest, and it’ll be more impactful for him.”
Elle, for one, is stoked to explore another national park, telling Tudum, “Each national park has such a different cultural identity, geographical identity. Being able to explore those places through the case and through Turner’s journey is what’s so fascinating.”
She adds, “Our theme has been that this park is our main character, this park is sort of alive. We do want to maintain that thread. Whichever park we choose will be a character, and it will kind of play a role in Turner’s emotional frame of mind.”
As far as the Season 1 characters we came to know and love, well, we’ll just have to stay tuned. “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,” Mark shared. “In an ideal world, we would be able to pull something off.”
When will Untamed Season 2 premiere?
Netflix hasn’t yet announced a release date for Untamed Season 2, given the renewal news is so recent. However, given the speed of the renewal and the enthusiasm from both cast and creators, fans can *hope* for a 2026 return if production gets underway soon.
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