The Peripheral spoilers follow.
If you’ve gone to the trouble of seeking out all the juicy info on The Peripheral’s season two status, congratulations! That means you’ve made it to the end of the intense, thought-provoking sci-fi thriller and are jonesing for another hit.
Though admittedly a head-scratcher of a show that must be followed carefully, The Peripheral is an intriguing, enjoyable watch. And it lands with an epic twisty finale that does exactly what it was designed to do: leave you desperate for more.
What happened to Flynne (Chloë Grace Moretz)? Is she still alive? Can Burton (Jack Reynor) forgive Conner (Eli Goree) for his actions, and will Wilf (Gary Carr) accept the truth of Aelita’s findings?
So much to dig into, and we’ve not even begun to scratch the surface of what unravelled during the final episode of the show.
With that setup, a season two is definitely on the minds of the show’s creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan — but will we be getting one?
Amazon Studios' Head of Television Vernon Sanders seemed positive about the chances of renewal in December 2022.
"We are in talks about season two as we speak," Sanders said (via ScreenRant). "We were thrilled to see real engagement and a lot of crossover from The Lord of the Rings fans. So, it's kind of what we were hoping, that we were getting a bunch of people into the service for that show and that they would go on to watch our next show."
"They're so different in tone, and obviously one's fantasy and one's sci-fi. We're incredibly proud of the producers of The Peripheral. So I think there'll be news on that in the not-too-distant future. We're already hard at work on scripts for season two and a plan for season two, so nothing to say officially right now, but we're deep into it."
Thankfully, that hard work paid off: an official announcement came in February 2023.
"William's mind-bending story in partnership with the brilliant minds of Scott and Jonathan and Lisa, produced an unforgettable journey for our global audience and we are thrilled with how they embraced the series," Sanders said (via Variety).
“We look forward to extending our partnership with Warner Bros and Kilter Films as this uniquely ambitious series continues to unfold."
"We are thrilled to continue the journey into season two and delve deeper into the incredible world that Gibson created," said Joy and Nolan. "On behalf of Scott Smith, Vincenzo Natali, and the entire team, we’re grateful to our partners at Amazon and, most of all, to the fans."
Here’s everything we know about The Peripheral season two.
The Peripheral season 2 potential release date: When's it on?
We've known for a while that the appetite is there from the creators' side of the fence, as executive producer Joy expressed: "I would love to have season two and season three and all the seasons in the world to explore this amazing, amazing novel.
"I know we've already started brainstorming about season two in the hopes that we get a season two, and the world only gets more vast and complicated."
Moretz seems to be up for the challenge. In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, the actress behind titular character Flynne Fisher relayed her excitement, saying:
"I think that there's a really large possibility for the idea of these stubs and what does it look like to be able to use them? What if they could be in different stubs at different times? What does that really look like?
"I think there's just a huge way to build out the world, and to, I think, get them out of just London and get us into other cities. I really think that would be a fun thing to see, too. What does the rest of the future world look like?"
Season one premiered in October 2022, so we saw no reason why we wouldn't be downloading new episodes in late 2023.
Well, until the WGA strike started, that is, and it put the production on hold. We'd need to be a soothsayer on William Gibson's level to predict when that'll end.
The Peripheral season 2 cast: Who will be coming back?
Well, we can tell you who's not coming back, and that's poor ol’ Reece (Moe Bar-El). Reece was stabbed to death by hitman Bob (Ned Dennehy), who also took a bullet to pay for his actions, so those players are well and truly off the board.
Also out for the count is the corrupt Sheriff Jackman (Ben Dickey), who was slain by Tommy (Alex Hernandez) — more on that below.
Tommy also made an attempt on Corbel Pickett's life, but Pickett (Louis Herthum) managed to survive. The repercussions of that will undoubtedly spiral.
Number one on our survivors' list — and one we'd actually like to keep there — is Flynne. She technically died in the season finale but escaped into a new stub, which acts as a new branch in the timeline.
So, while the old Flynne Fisher from the timeline we've been following has gone, another version exists on a separate timeline… more on that in our explainer of the ending.
This 'new' Flynne is sure to be joined by the following in season two:
• Jack Reynor as Burton Fisher
• Eli Goree as Conner
• Gary Carr as Wilf Netherton
• Charlotte Riley as Aelita
• JJ Feild as Lev Zubov
• T’Nia Miller as Cherise Nuland
• Alexandra Billings as Inspector Ainsley
• Katie Leung as Ash
• Julian Moore-Cook as Ossain
• Alex Hernandez as Tommy
• Louis Herthum as Corbell Pickett
• Adelind Horan as Billy Ann Baker
• Chris Coy as Jasper Baker
The Peripheral season 2 plot: What will happen?
Boy, will Burton be pissed when he finds out that Conner killed Flynne. Conner did do it under Flynne's instruction to save the world from the impending doomsday known as the Jackpot, but still, Burton will not be happy.
Considering Flynne orchestrated her death to look as though it were the action of the Met Police, there's a chance Burton won't find out. But secrets and lies always find a way of reaching the surface, so we wouldn’t bank on it staying under wraps forever.
Flynne's attempts to stop the head of the Research Institute, Cherise, from destroying the data implanted into her mind earlier in the season may have stopped the Jackpot, but for how long?
Cherise may still be desperate to ensure she's fully stomped out the data (which morphed into bacterial DNA within Flynne) and so may still be intent on decimating that timeline anyway — a cut-throat 'just in case' measure.
On the other hand, Cherise may very well have her hands full trying to hunt down the new timeline's version of Flynne, who still has this precious data in her DNA.
Flynne destroyed the device that would have allowed Cherise to locate this new stub, but we have every faith that she'll find a way to do so in spite of this. Thankfully, Flynne is working with the powerful Inspector Ainsley, so she won't be completely outmatched.
Speaking of new timelines, things could get a bit hectic with two 2032 stubs in existence. The original 2032 may have lost their Flynne, but there will still be two Burtons, two Conners, two Tommys, etc — all working under different circumstances, with one group grieving the loss of Flynne and navigating the chaos without her. It's about to get real trippy.
Both 2032 stub sets of the Fisher brigade (including Wilf and Aelita) will have to deal with Lev, who, in the post-credits scene, was instructed to wipe them all out to cover his tracks. When it rains in their world, it freaking pours.
Meanwhile, Tommy has made a mess of trying to protect the Fishers. Tommy murdered Jackman and Pickett in an attempt to prevent Flynne and Burton from being set up and jailed for being (loosely) linked to the murder of Pickett’s wife.
Or rather, he thought he killed Pickett. Unfortunately, he's just comatose.
Thus, Tommy will have some tough decisions to make next season. Will he let Pickett live and risk damning both himself and the Fishers in the process? Or will the good cop follow through with his murderous intent?
In Pickett's brief absence, a power struggle ensued amongst his lawless crew of lackeys, among them his nephew Jasper Baker.
As the group debated who should take charge in the event of Pickett's death, Jasper was pushed aside and ridiculed. Tired of being snubbed and seen as the weak one, a drunk Jasper drugged the men and left them to die on a railway track.
One emotional call to his wife later, and Jasper soon comes to regret this decision. But it's too late: The events are already in motion. Guess he'll be busy covering up his tracks, too. Maybe he and Tommy should confer.
Aelita's return revealed some shocking news for Wilf: He's been lied to his whole life (what he can remember of it), but the truth can be unearthed with the removal of his implant.
It turns out that the implants suppress memories — a discovery Aelita made when she removed hers. For Wilf, that means the quashing of the massacre of his whole family, along with five million other people all over England.
All were killed by the Klept, culled after a contagion grew among them. Aelita means to seek retribution for the Klept's actions and has gathered others like her and Wilf to join the cause. All she needs is the data in Flynne's head to destroy them.
Season two could see Wilfe join sides with his sister, but the effect that could have on the blossoming romance between him and Flynne is potentially damning.
Back in 2014, during the press tour for the release of the novel, Gibson talked about real-life events overtaking the fiction of his creation.
"Since I turned in the book, every time I open my newsfeed I see something and wince and think: 'I didn't even factor that in.' It doesn’t look good," Gibson said (via The Guardian).
"I'm reluctant to say it because people my age have always said we're going to hell in a handbasket. I've heard it all my life from some writers who were then the age I am now. So I think: 'Am I due yet? Have I started to do that?' But it really doesn’t look good…"
Now that Apple has launched its groundbreaking VR tech, there's a chance Gibson will be overtaken again — though it'll be fascinating to see how this real-world vision bleeds into season two.
The writers certainly have enough time to think about it. One IRL event currently impacting the show is the WGA strike, which is currently holding up production.
The Peripheral season 2 trailer: When can I watch it?
Not for a long while yet. But, to be fair, most of us are still probably digesting the events of season one, so we've popped that trailer above just to aid that process.
We will, however, keep our nose to the ground for any further updates on a trailer. As soon as we get wind, we'll let you know.
All episodes of The Peripheral are available on Prime Video.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
