WARNING: There are SPOILERS ahead for Raised By Wolves season 1, episode 10, "The Beginning"
The season 1 finale for Raised By Wolves has a cliffhanger ending, prompting the question: can viewers expect the show to return for season 2? The sci-fi series is set in a dystopian future, centering on its main characters' struggles to forge a new human civilization on the planet Kepler-22B. The show was renewed for a second season ahead of the October 1 finale. The questions remain, however, when the season will air and what it will be about.
Raised By Wolves is a philosophical sci-fi series that examines the human condition — while also offering suspenseful mysteries, breathtaking special effects, and thrilling action sequences. The androids Mother and Father are at the core of the show: they were sent to Kepler-22B with twelve frozen embryos and a mission to establish an Atheistic human colony. Due to tragic circumstances, only one child, Campion, survives. New dangers emerge on the alien planet just as a ship full of hostile religious humans arrive to establish a Mithraic colony. By the season 1 finale, most of the Mithraic are dead and their ark destroyed — just as a previously-unknown Atheist ship reaches Kepler-22B.
The HBO Max series is a highly-stylized and well-written science fiction story that borrows elements from both Alien and Blade Runner (Ridley Scott serves as Executive Producer of Raised By Wolves and directed the first two episodes). Season 2 will likely continue where season 1 ends: with the newly-arrived Atheists approaching the planet, and the humans facing the new threat posed by Mother's "baby."
Raised By Wolves Season 2 Renewal
HBO Max renewed Raised By Wolves for season 2 on September 17th, just two weeks after the show's September 3 premiere. The news was not altogether unexpected, as the series has been a hit for the young streaming service. According to a WarnerMedia press release, Raised By Wolves had the strongest debut of any HBO Max original since the platform's launch.
Raised By Wolves Season 2 Release Date Info
Chances are that HBO Max would prefer to have a year gap between seasons, making September 2021 a likely goal for Raised By Wolves season 2. A more conservative estimate places the second instalment's debut a bit further into the future, however. Raised By Wolves was originally announced back in 2018, and took two years in development to reach audiences. Casting was concluded by March 2019, meaning production took about 18 months. Raised By Wolves is visually impressive, and certainly requires a big-budget and extensive post-production special effects. As a result of that alone — not to mention the delays caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — viewers may have the wait until March or April 2021 for season 2.
Raised By Wolves Season 2 Story Details
The finale of Raised By Wolves season 1 poses more questions than it answers, and several new plot arcs are set up for season 2. Mother has her baby, and discovers that she had been mislead: the "child" is a hideous parasitic being that poses a significant danger to her human family. The creature escapes at the end of episode 10, "The Beginning," and is likely to be the main antagonist of the next season. The other possible antagonist is also revealed toward the end of the finale: Marcus encounters Athiest soliders on Kepler-22B, whose massive spaceship is shown hovering in the planet's atmosphere. Presumably, season 2 will see the Athiest vs. Mithraic conflict from Earth resume in this new world.
Raised By Wolves season 1 introduced mysterious creatures who are revealed to be human-like in "The Beginning." Mother and Father also find evidence that humans lived on this planet thousands of years ago. As Mother asks, "if humans existed here, where have they all gone?" Adding to the puzzle is the discovery that the feral creatures who attacked the settlement may be devolved humans — although the reason why they would be devolving is unknown. Furthermore, the season still has yet to answer what happened to Tally: all season long, characters have discovered her drawings and homemade dolls, and Campion even had a conversation with her. Is she somehow still alive? Has she been transformed in some way, and is that related to the devolved humans? Likely, Raised By Wolves season 2 will develop this mystery further, shedding new light on how Kepler-22B is tied to human history.