Netflix’s Untamed Success: Rethinking Miniseries Release Strategy

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In 2025, the Netflix crime drama Untamed, starring Eric Bana, became a huge hit, racking up almost a billion views. Released on July 17th, it quickly became the most popular show in the US on the platform. Due to its success, Netflix renewed the series for a second season later that month, suggesting the company should consider similar release approaches in the future.

While not flawless, Untamed was a hit with audiences. Its six episodes made for a perfect weekend watch, as each one skillfully advanced the central mystery. At its heart, it’s a classic ‘who done it?’ story, but the show’s compelling main character and the beautiful, yet eerie, setting of Yosemite National Park gave it a uniquely atmospheric and bittersweet tone. It’s not surprising the series was picked up for another season, especially considering it was originally intended to be a limited run of just six episodes.

Untamed Was First Released As A Miniseries, But Netflix Renewed It For Season 2

Originally, Untamed was created as a short, complete story told in just six episodes. It wasn’t intended to continue beyond that. But after gaining a huge 93 million views in 2025, Netflix decided to explore continuing the show due to its popularity.

Even after wrapping up the initial mystery, there were opportunities to continue the story with Bana’s character investigating further crimes within Yosemite’s vast forests. Alternatively, new characters could have tackled mysteries in other wild, natural settings. However, Netflix quickly decided to abandon the idea of Untamed being a limited series, effectively canceling any continuation.

Netflix’s Latest Viewership Data Suggests The Streamer Should Adjust Its Miniseries Approach

As a total film and TV buff, I was really excited to see Netflix finally drop their viewing numbers for July through December 2025! I’ve been digging through the data, and it’s fascinating to see what everyone was watching. One show really stood out – Untamed topped the charts in the drama category. But it wasn’t alone; several other limited series really captured people’s attention during those months, which is cool to see.

Three of Netflix’s five most popular drama series are limited series – Hostage, The Beast in Me, and Untamed. Because these shorter series have been so successful, Netflix is likely to create more miniseries that continue for multiple seasons. It’s hard for them to ignore such a winning formula.

Given that Netflix seems inclined to continue successful limited series, the company could easily change how it releases shows. Viewers enjoy limited series because they offer a complete story. Netflix could achieve the same effect with full series by treating each season as a separate, self-contained story. If a season isn’t popular, it won’t be renewed, leaving viewers satisfied. But if it’s a hit, the show can continue with multiple, independent seasons.

Other Streaming Services & Networks Have Been Renewing “Miniseries”

Okay, so Netflix isn’t alone in bringing back limited series for another go-round. I was surprised to hear HBO is doing a second season of The Rehearsal – I thought it wrapped everything up perfectly in the first batch of episodes! But it’s clearly still popular, as it’s trending on HBO Max, and the network just confirmed we’re getting more. It’s an interesting trend, seeing these ‘one-and-done’ shows get revived, and I’m curious to see how they’ll approach a second season.

Viewers actually have a lot of influence over whether a miniseries gets continued. If enough people want more, the production company will likely deliver. This could become a common practice for many shows and movies, where the audience decides if a story deserves a sequel under the same name—avoiding frustrating cliffhangers or stories that drag on too long. Based on current trends, Netflix seems poised to be a leader in this approach.

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2026-01-26 03:28