UNTAMED: Season 2 (Netflix, 2025) — A New Park, A New Mystery, and a Map Marked with Kyle Turner’s Name

Netflix’s gripping crime thriller Untamed captivated audiences with its first season, set against the majestic backdrop of Yosemite National Park. Released on July 17, 2025, the series, starring Eric Bana as Investigative Services Branch (ISB) agent Kyle Turner, soared to the top of Netflix’s global charts, amassing 24.6 million views in its debut week and earning an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Following this success, Netflix announced a second season on July 29, 2025, promising a fresh mystery in a new national park. Season 2 begins with Turner arriving at an undisclosed park, only to be greeted by an unsettling discovery: a map already marked with his name. This article explores the narrative potential, themes, and expectations for Untamed: Season 2, based on insights from creators, cast, and critical reception of the first season.

A New Chapter for Kyle Turner

In Season 1, Kyle Turner, portrayed by Eric Bana, was a stoic, grief-stricken ISB agent investigating the death of Lucy Cook at Yosemite’s El Capitan. Haunted by the loss of his son Caleb and navigating a fractured relationship with his ex-wife Jill (Rosemarie DeWitt), Turner unraveled a complex web of secrets involving a drug ring, a squatter community, and a shocking revelation about Chief Park Ranger Paul Souter (Sam Neill). The season concluded with Turner solving the case, confronting his personal demons, and leaving Yosemite behind, setting the stage for a new adventure.

Season 2 picks up with Turner, a seasoned agent who moves between national parks to tackle high-stakes cases, arriving at a new, yet-to-be-revealed park. Showrunners Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith have emphasized that this park will be distinct from Yosemite, with a unique cultural and geographical identity. “We’ve done Yosemite. What’s the next park that could feel different from that?” Elle Smith told Tudum, hinting at a setting that will challenge Turner in unfamiliar ways. The season opens with a chilling premise: upon arrival, Turner discovers a map marked with his name, suggesting someone—or something—anticipated his presence. This eerie introduction sets the tone for a darker, more personal mystery.

The Map: A Catalyst for Suspense

The marked map is a bold narrative device, instantly raising questions about who knows Turner, why they’ve targeted him, and how they’ve infiltrated the park’s operations. This plot point aligns with the showrunners’ intent to place Turner “on his back foot,” stripping away the confidence he exuded in Yosemite. Mark L. Smith explained, “Turner was so comfortable in Yosemite… And now, we’re putting him very uncomfortable.” The map could imply a conspiracy tied to Turner’s past, perhaps linked to the unresolved threads from Season 1, such as the wrongful death suit filed by the family of Sean Sanderson, a man revealed to have killed Turner’s son and whose death was orchestrated by Jill. Alternatively, it might introduce a new antagonist who has studied Turner’s methods, setting a trap to test his skills.

This opening also evokes the atmospheric tension that defined Season 1. Critics praised the show’s ability to blend natural beauty with underlying danger, with The Guardian noting, “It’s not the smartest of thrillers, but those mountains sure are lovely to look at.” The map’s presence could amplify this dynamic, turning the park itself into a character that harbors secrets and threatens Turner’s control. Whether the map points to a specific location, a hidden clue, or a warning, it promises to drive the narrative toward a collision of personal stakes and professional duty.

A New Park, A New Identity

While the specific park for Season 2 remains undisclosed, the Smiths have teased a setting that contrasts sharply with Yosemite’s towering cliffs and lush forests. “Each national park has such a different cultural identity, geographical identity,” Elle Smith said, suggesting a locale that will shape both the case and Turner’s emotional journey. Speculation among fans points to parks like Yellowstone, with its volcanic terrain and wildlife, or Zion, with its stark canyons, as potential settings. The choice of park will likely influence the mystery’s tone—perhaps a case involving poaching in Yellowstone or a disappearance in Zion’s labyrinthine trails. The park’s “cultural identity” could also introduce local communities, Indigenous perspectives, or historical conflicts, enriching the narrative with new layers.

The shift to a new park aligns with the show’s anthology-like potential, where each season explores a different setting and case while retaining Turner as the anchor. This approach draws comparisons to True Detective, with critics noting that Untamed could adopt a similar format, introducing fresh characters and mysteries each season. The map marked with Turner’s name, however, suggests a continuity of personal stakes, ensuring that Season 2 doesn’t feel entirely disconnected from the first.

Cast and Characters: Who Returns?

Eric Bana is the only confirmed cast member for Season 2, reprising his role as Kyle Turner. His performance in Season 1 was lauded for its nuance, with reviewers describing him as “believable and grounded” despite the show’s predictable plot. Bana’s commitment to the series is evident, as he serves as both star and executive producer. “I am absolutely thrilled that we get the chance to bring another season of Untamed to life,” he said, expressing excitement for Turner’s next journey.

The supporting cast from Season 1, including Sam Neill (Paul Souter), Lily Santiago (Naya Vasquez), and Rosemarie DeWitt (Jill), may not return, given the deaths of key characters like Souter and Shane Maguire (Wilson Bethel) and the new park setting. However, Mark L. Smith hinted at the possibility of familiar faces: “We loved our cast and the characters they brought to life… In an ideal world, we would be able to pull something off.” Jill, as Turner’s ex-wife, could reappear to explore their unresolved tensions, while Vasquez, a fan-favorite, might join Turner in the new park, though this would require narrative justification. A largely new cast is expected, with characters tailored to the park’s unique environment, potentially including local rangers, residents, or suspects tied to the central mystery.

Themes and Emotional Stakes

Season 1 wove themes of grief, family, and redemption through Turner’s investigation, with his hallucinations of Caleb serving as a poignant reflection of his trauma. The map marked with his name suggests that Season 2 will deepen these personal stakes, forcing Turner to confront new aspects of his past or present. The showrunners have emphasized making Turner “uncomfortable,” which could mean challenging his expertise, exposing vulnerabilities, or tying the mystery to his identity as an ISB agent. The map might symbolize a predator hunting Turner, reversing his role from hunter to hunted, or it could point to a case that mirrors his own losses, such as another missing child or a betrayal by someone close.

The series’ strength lies in balancing character-driven drama with procedural elements. While some critics, like IndieWire’s Ben Travers, felt Season 1 leaned too heavily on familiar tropes, others praised its emotional resonance and visual splendor. Season 2 has an opportunity to address these critiques by crafting a less predictable plot while maintaining the atmospheric intensity that made Yosemite a compelling co-star. The new park’s dangers—whether natural, human, or psychological—will likely test Turner’s resilience, pushing him to adapt in ways he didn’t in the familiar terrain of Yosemite.

Production and Release Expectations

Filming for Season 1 began in June 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, with locations like Chip Kerr Park standing in for Yosemite. The series premiered just over a year later, suggesting a similar timeline for Season 2. If production starts in late 2025, a release in late 2026 is plausible. The series is a co-production between Warner Bros. Television and John Wells Productions, with Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith as showrunners and executive producers alongside Bana, John Wells, and others. The creative team’s commitment to authenticity, seen in Season 1’s use of natural settings, will likely continue, ensuring the new park is as vivid and integral to the story as Yosemite was.

Anticipation and Challenges

Untamed Season 2 has generated significant buzz, fueled by its strong debut and the promise of a fresh mystery. The map marked with Turner’s name is a tantalizing hook, suggesting a story that blends psychological thriller elements with the series’ signature wilderness aesthetic. However, the show must overcome Season 1’s criticisms of predictability and rushed subplots to deliver a more layered narrative. By leveraging the new park’s unique identity and deepening Turner’s character arc, Untamed has the potential to evolve into a standout anthology series, with each season offering a new lens on America’s national parks and the human stories within them.

As fans await further details, the image of Kyle Turner stepping into an unfamiliar park, confronted by a map bearing his name, sets the stage for a thrilling continuation. With Eric Bana at the helm and the Smiths’ vision guiding the story, Untamed: Season 2 promises to be a journey into the wild—and into the heart of one man’s relentless pursuit of truth.