Untamed does a good job of wrapping up its loose ends in its six episodes, but it also ends in such a way that we could easily see it returning for a second season, even though it is billed as a limited series. (Let’s be honest: That doesn’t mean what it used to.)
“I haven’t given too much thought on this, to be honest,” star and executive producer Eric Bana tells TV Insider. “It was so encompassing, but obviously we knew that the nature of his job is that these ISB agents do get moved around from park to park, which is why the ending is the way that it is because that is a very feasible thing and it was part of the story structure. So yeah, I guess it’s always possible, but it wasn’t something that we structurally played with whilst putting these episodes together.”
The first season ended with the case wrapped — chief park ranger and Kyle’s (Bana) friend Paul (Sam Neill) was responsible for the death of Lucy, his daughter — and Kyle leaving behind the version of his dead son he’d been seeing and departing from Yosemite National Park. Because of that, Bana agrees, a second season would have to feature a very different Kyle “and it would depend on where he is and who he’s surrounded by.”
Co-showrunner Elle Smith is all for continuing the series. “Oh, we would do this forever if they let us, but we’ll see,” she says. “We’ll see how many adventures Turner has left in him.”
She admits they haven’t thought too much about it but notes the appeal of the job of an ISB agent, of which there are not many. “They go to different national parks and they do travel from park to park and case to case and things like that. So I think that’s what was interesting to us, and if we got the opportunity to do it again, it would be getting to explore a different park, a different case,” she shares.
Lily Santiago is all for returning for more. “I 100% would do another season. I am hoping for it,” she tells us.
Her character, Naya Vasquez, is the latest addition to the ranger squad at the beginning of the series and is settling in at the park by the end of the finale. “I want so much for her. I really do love her growing comfort in the wilderness. And I love animals as Lily, and I feel like Naya’s growing to love animals. So I want to see her take on more responsibility and continue to develop her power in these positions because she could be a great detective. I think she has such amazing abilities in that field, and in terms of a partnership, I just want to see her take on more responsibility,” says Santiago.
“It was such a gift to play this character because it’s so well-rounded because I get to be a mother, I get to be a badass in the workforce. In a Season 2, I want more solving of murders. Honestly, I would love for her to get called up to go to a different place, like bring me to a mountain in Hawaii,” she continues with a laugh. I’m hoping that it’s new murder, new location, wilderness challenges, and new things to learn because I really love Naya’s mind. I love watching how she figures out new terrain.”
The season ends with Naya without two people she’d looked up to professionally — Kyle left, and Paul died by suicide. Looking ahead, “It would be cool to see her in a position of power where she gets to [explore], how does she handle it differently than those guys did?” Santiago says, adding, “I wanted to wear the sunglasses in the last shot and roll up the sleeves sort of as in homage to her becoming more like Kyle in her comfort, but also in her ease.”
Wilson Bethel, whose Shane Maguire was killed by Naya to save Kyle, who thought he murdered Lucy, wouldn’t be opposed to finding a way to return, either. “You never know. Maybe the ghost of old Shane Maguire comes back to haunt folks. Who knows?”
Would you watch a second season of Untamed? Let us know in the comments section below.
Untamed, Streaming Now, Netflix
