Will ‘La Brea’ Have a Season 3 Despite Viewership Dropping?

When La Brea debuted in 2021, the NBC scripted show pulled in very strong viewership. Unfortunately, that fact has changed as the end of the series’ second season draws near. So, will La Brea, which explores what would happen if a giant sinkhole opened in the heart of Los Angeles, get a Season 3?

The answer to the question of whether Season 3 of La Brea is in the works is not as straightforward as you may think. Here’s what we know about the status of the sci-fi drama as of February 2023.

In January of 2023, NBC proudly announced that indeed, La Brea had been renewed for a third season. Viewers would get to see more of what sinkhole survivors’ lives were like in the year 10,000 B.C., because believe it or not, that is what’s happening underneath modern day L.A. — on the show at least.

La Brea’s fate had definitely been up in the air prior to that announcement, with the show’s initial 6.2 million strong viewership when it premiered in 2021 per Variety, dwindling considerably by its second season. In fact, in the beginning of February of 2023, just 2 million eyeballs were tuning in to the show, per TV Fanatic. It’s no wonder that some devoted watchers began to worry that La Brea was officially ending.

According to recent reports, La Brea is not getting canceled — at least not yet. Instead, per Deadline, and as we’ve stated, the show has been picked up for Season 3. But the third season will be considerably shorter than past seasons, and the reason behind this decision is actually a bit complicated.

As TV fans may know, a strike is looming among writers, directors, and actors in Hollywood. The Writers Guild of America union contract expires in May of 2023. Meanwhile, per Variety, the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA contracts are up in June. Welp! It may be time to start stressing over what new shows we’ll be getting come fall.

But as it concerns La Brea, reportedly NBC negotiated a shorter Season 3 with the cast to produce some new programming pre-strike. The production will begin filming in Australia in March. Fans can expect six episodes versus ten, which are likely the last for the series. As of time of writing, the network has not announced a release date for the Season 3 premiere — but fans like us will be eagerly awaiting that news.