Will We Ever Get To See The Third Day Season 2?
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The Third Day, a psychological folk horror television event available on HBO Max, broke the mold a bit for HBO when it aired in an unusual format: There were only six episodes total, split in half by a 12-hour live-streaming event called "Autumn," which, as the press release put it, "serves as a bridge between the three episodes of 'Summer' and the three episodes of 'Winter' while not being requisite for enjoying the limited series." The live event, which took place on HBO's Facebook page, allowed viewers to follow the events of a single day in real time, "capturing events live and in one continuous take." IndieWire reported that, pre-pandemic, HBO had hoped to make this an in-person immersive event with 3,000 people on-site but had to change plans.
The show stars Jude Law as Sam, a London man who has arrived on Osea Island on a solo excursion to purge his grief regarding the death of his son years before, only to get caught up in events on the island when he encounters some kids in the woods. This all happens in the run-up to a local festival, and Sam gets caught up in the preparations and religious fervor that's taking place there. In the second part of the series, Naomie Harris plays Helen, a woman who has come to the island with her two daughters for answers.
If you enjoyed The Third Day's type of suspenseful thrills, you might be wondering if another season is being planned, especially since the end was not particularly conclusive or satisfying. Here's what we know about a possible second season for the television series.
The Third Day has always been intended as a limited series, plus the ratings don't support more episodes
The Third Day was billed as a limited series, or mini-series, from the beginning. That means that a set number of episodes have always been planned, with no eye toward returning to the narrative set forth in the show. Thus, this is a series that is not expected to continue, despite the fact that fans probably believe the current story could go on, or other stories could be told within the same world.
However, there's a precedent for an HBO limited series to return for a second season despite initial plans. Big Little Lies, which was based on a book by Liane Moriarty, had a second season with stars Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. That season met with more mixed critical success than the original: Plenty of fans and critics liked it, but Entertainment Weekly called it "disappointing" and The New Yorker opined that it "probably should never have been made."
Additionally, Big Little Lies was a legitimate hit for HBO, according to Variety, averaging 8.5 million viewers per episode in its first season — and its second season did even better. Yet The Third Day hasn't been able to match that show's ratings, which came in at a tiny fraction of that. TV Series Finale estimates its Nielson ratings average was about 164,000 viewers per episode. That sounds a bit less convincing as a reason to renew the show for a second season.
The show's cast and crew aren't likely to want a return, and they're all doing other things
The main stars of The Third Day are Jude Law and Naomie Harris, both actors with enough experience and star power in the entertainment business that they're not considered likely to want to return to a commitment on a television show. Both have a history of acting in films and miniseries, with TV appearances sprinkled into their resumes, but do not appear interested in long-term industry gigs. It's entirely possible they're going to be too busy, anyway. Law is attached to upcoming films Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3, Sherlock Holmes 3, and Peter Pan and Wendy. Naomie Harris has three films coming out this year, including the James Bond film No Time to Die and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and it's fairly certain she's not going to be wanting for work anytime soon.
Of course, new stories could be told on Osea Island without the main leads. However, The Third Day was co-created and written by Dennis Kelly and Felix Barrett of British theater company Punchdrunk. Barrett especially, who founded Punchdrunk, is not expected to limit himself to television, as theater is his main interest. And they have another project they're likely already working on. Barrett told Collider, "In the future, we're working with Niantic, the creators of Pokémon Go, who use their software and game play to play games around the world or on the streets that you live in, and we're looking at how to tell stories with that. We're looking at how Dennis and I could tell a story through a mobile phone, across the streets of Chicago. I think there are so many different ways that narrative is exploding, and it's all there for the taking."
Given this, all signs point to "no." Chances are slim that there will be another season of The Third Day.