Netflix is bringing its hit mystery thriller UNTAMED back for a second season, and this time agent Kyle Turner is trading the granite cliffs of Yosemite for active lava fields. The streaming service confirmed through its official Tudum page that production is now underway in Hawaii, where Eric Bana will reprise his role as the quiet, grief-haunted special agent of the Investigative Services Branch .
The decision to relocate the series from the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific islands is not just a scenery change. Co-creators Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith are treating the new park as the story’s central character, shaping both the mystery and Turner’s emotional state. Unlike the first season, which used British Columbia as a stand-in for California, Season 2 is filming entirely on location in Hawaii, giving viewers authentic views of one of the world’s most active volcanic landscapes .
Alongside the location reveal, Netflix also confirmed two major casting additions. Shea Whigham, known for Boardwalk Empire and American Primeval, will play a local businessman with a tragic past, while Kelly Hu joins as a mother returning to the Big Island to confront old wounds .
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Becomes the New ‘Main Character’ in Season 2
The official logline from Netflix states that Season 2 follows Turner as he investigates a mysterious death in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, where local tensions and the volatile, living landscape become an unpredictable force .
For the Smiths, choosing Hawaii was about contrast. After spending an entire season inside the forests and granite domes of Yosemite, they wanted to drop Turner into an environment that feels alien to him. “Each national park has such a different cultural identity, geographical identity,” Elle Smith explained. “Being able to explore those places through the case and through Turner’s journey is what’s so fascinating about getting to choose a new park” .
The park is not just a postcard backdrop. The creators emphasized that the landscape will interact with the plot directly. Volcanic activity, isolation, and the cultural tensions between longtime residents and outside authorities will all play into the investigation. Mark L. Smith described the setting as “alive” and confirmed that the environment will mirror Turner’s internal condition .
Where Is Turner Emotionally?
The new season picks up a year and a half after Turner left Yosemite. According to the producers, he has not been idle. He has worked cases in multiple parks, attempting to outrun the grief over his son’s death that defined the first season. However, running does not equal healing.
“We’re dealing with the next stage of what he’s going through, how he’s processing,” Mark L. Smith said. “There was the sadness and grief and all of that that lived in the first season. We’re trying to really make sure that we dig down and focus on the park matching Turner in a way” .
This means viewers should expect Turner to be uncomfortable, off-balance, and operating without the local knowledge he possessed in Yosemite.
Shea Whigham and Kelly Hu Join the Cast as Series Expands
Shea Whigham has been cast as Ray Burkart, a character described as a California transplant who moved to the Big Island thirty years ago. Burkart runs multiple businesses, some legitimate and others operating in gray areas. His son has been killed, and his search for justice puts him on a collision course with Turner .
Whigham arrives with strong genre credentials. He recently starred in Netflix’s brutal frontier drama American Primeval, also written by the Smiths, and appeared in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and the Formula 1 film F1. His casting signals that the show is investing in heavyweight character actors rather than relying solely on Bana’s presence .
Kelly Hu has also joined the ensemble. She will play Awapuhi, a woman born and raised on Hawaii Island who moved to Oahu after her son died. The case that brings Turner to the park forces her to return home and face the grief she left behind. Hu is a Hawaii native, bringing authenticity to a role deeply tied to local identity .
“I am absolutely thrilled that we get the chance to bring another season of UNTAMED to life,” Eric Bana said when the renewal was announced. “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” .
No other first-season cast members have been confirmed for returns. Sam Neill, who played Turner’s mentor Paul Souter, is not expected to appear given the geographic shift away from Yosemite.
Production Timeline, Episode Count, and Filming Locations
Season 2 will consist of six one-hour episodes, matching the length of the debut season. Production is officially underway in Hawaii as of February 2026. While specific filming locations within the islands have not been publicly mapped, the production team previously worked in Hawaii on the Fox series Rescue HI-Surf, giving them established logistics on the Big Island .
This marks a significant change from Season 1, which was shot in British Columbia. By filming directly inside and around Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, the crew aims to capture the specific light, terrain, and atmosphere that makes the location distinct .
The decision to go on-location also addresses criticism from some viewers who noted that Canada did not entirely convince as California. Filming permits and coordination with the National Park Service are currently in place.
How Season 1 Performed and Why Netflix Ordered More Episodes
UNTAMED debuted on July 17, 2025, and was originally marketed as a limited series. That changed quickly. The show landed at Number 1 on the Netflix Global Top 10 shortly after release and stayed inside the top 10 for seven consecutive weeks .
According to Netflix’s semi-ual data report, UNTAMED ranked as the third most-watched title across all of Netflix in the second half of 2025, pulling 92.8 million views. That performance forced a strategic pivot. Warner Bros. Television and John Wells Productions moved the project from a one-and-done story to an ongoing franchise .
Critics were mixed but viewers were not. The show holds an 83 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans frequently compare it to the first season of True Detective, praising the slow-burn pacing and Bana’s restrained performance .
“The best detective series since the first True Detective. Could not stop watching from the first minute of the series,” one viewer wrote .
Another fan added: “UNTAMED is amazing. Eric Bana is incredible—quiet, intense, and completely believable as a man dealing with insurmountable grief while trying to solve a mystery in Yosemite” .
What the New Setting Means for the Storytelling
The move to Hawaii allows the writers to reset the procedural formula. In Yosemite, Turner knew every trail, every ranger, and every hidden danger. In Hawaii, he is a visitor. The local population has its own relationships with law enforcement, and the jurisdictional lines between federal agents, county police, and community elders are murky.
The Smiths also hinted that Turner’s past cases will not be ignored. The year-and-a-half time jump means he arrives with experience from other parks, but also with accumulated exhaustion. The volcanic environment, with its constant potential for eruption, serves as a direct visual metaphor for a man who has been suppressing his emotions for years .
Additionally, the cultural landscape of Hawaii is not something Turner can learn from a manual. The show has brought on local talent both in front of and behind the camera to ensure the depiction of Native Hawaiian communities and contemporary island life is handled with specificity rather than generalization.
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Where Global Audiences Can Watch and What Comes Next
UNTAMED Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix in all regions, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and India. For viewers who have not yet caught up, the six-episode first season serves as a complete standalone mystery, though watching it will provide essential context for Turner’s trauma and his working methods.
Season 2 does not yet have a premiere date. With production starting in February 2026 and lasting through late spring, a late 2026 or early 2027 release is realistic. Post-production on a series that relies heavily on natural lighting and location sound typically requires several months.
Netflix has not indicated whether Season 2 will close Turner’s story or leave room for further installments. However, the creative team has expressed interest in treating each season as a standalone novel, with a new park, a new case, and a new emotional challenge for a man who cannot seem to stop working long enough to heal.
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