Netflix has officially confirmed the location and initial plot details for the highly anticipated second season of its hit crime drama Untamed, which many viewers have hailed as one of the platform's finest detective series in recent memory.
From Yosemite to Hawaii's Volcanic Landscape
The streaming giant has revealed through its Tudum website that special agent Kyle Turner, portrayed by Eric Bana, will investigate a mysterious death in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park during the show's sophomore season. This marks a significant geographical shift from the first season's Yosemite setting, promising fresh visual splendor and narrative challenges.
A New Park as Central Character
Co-creators and executive producers Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith, who previously wrote American Primeval for Netflix, expressed enthusiasm about exploring Hawaii's distinct environment. "We're excited to explore the pristine landscapes and cultural identity of a very different national park," they stated, emphasizing that each park possesses unique geographical and cultural characteristics that will influence the storytelling.
The producers elaborated on their creative philosophy, noting that the national park itself functions as a central character within the series. "Our theme has been that this park is our main character, this park is sort of alive," explained Elle Smith. "Whichever park we choose will be a character, and it will play a role in Turner's emotional frame of mind."
Continuity and Character Development
The narrative will pick up approximately eighteen months after the events of season one, with Turner having visited multiple parks during the interim period. "This won't be the first park he's been in," clarified Mark Smith. "He's been busy. He's been taking on a lot of cases." This continuity suggests the character's ongoing journey while introducing new environmental and investigative elements.
Production and Critical Reception
Unlike the first season, which utilized Canadian locations to represent American national parks, season two is expected to film entirely on location in Hawaii, promising authentic visual representation of the volcanic landscape. The series has garnered substantial critical acclaim, boasting an impressive 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes and enthusiastic viewer praise.
Fans have consistently compared Untamed favorably to premium detective programming, with one supporter declaring it "the best detective series since the first True Detective" while another highlighted Eric Bana's "quiet, intense, and completely believable" performance as a grieving investigator. Viewers have particularly praised the series' visual grandeur, emotional depth, and suspenseful storytelling.
Season One Foundation
The inaugural six-part season introduced audiences to federal agent Kyle Turner, who patrols National Parks Service wilderness areas to enforce human law. The discovery of a young woman's body in Yosemite launched Turner into a harrowing investigation that intertwined with the park's hidden dangers and his personal trauma, supported by his former mentor and a new partner from the Los Angeles police force.
Originally conceived as a limited series, Untamed's strong reception prompted Netflix to greenlight a continuation, with the second season exploring how "local tensions and the volatile, living landscape become an unpredictable force" in Hawaii's unique ecosystem. The combination of breathtaking scenery, complex character development, and intricate mystery plotting has established Untamed as a standout entry in Netflix's crime drama catalog.
