The showrunner behind Apple TV+'s Constellation revealed where he thinks the sci-fi story could go in a potential Season 2.
Apple's space-faring thriller just wrapped up its mind-bending first season. It tells the story of an astronaut who returns to Earth after a mysterious accident while in orbit to find things not as she left them.
Created by showrunner Peter Harness, the series kept fans on the edge of their seats for all eight episodes, coming to a stirring conclusion (read more about Constellation's finale here) with no promise of any potential further stories.
[ Constellation Apple Series Explained: The Meaning of the Show's Cryptic Plot ]
Constellation Season 2 Teased By Creator
Series showrunner and creator Peter Harness hinted at plans for a potential Constellation Season 2.
In a conversation with Collider, Harness posited, "should there be a [Season] 2," he plans to explore more of Will Catlett's seemingly dead astronaut, Paul Lancaster:
"When Will [Catlett] started doing his stuff, he really became the leading man of that episode. He was around for the whole shoot because he had bits and pieces to do, but we gave him more to do. Should there be a [Season] 2, I’m really looking forward to giving him much more to do because he’s absolutely fantastic."
Harness said that when he goes about writing something, there are inherently "quite a lot of ideas." He has learned to "ration" those story concepts in case he needs them for future seasons of any particular project:
"This is maybe obvious from watching the show, but I start writing something, and then something else occurs to me and I think, 'Oh, God, that’s interesting. I might have to go and follow that.' There tends to be quite a lot of ideas. Sometimes I have to get a bit strict with myself about rationing the number of ideas and just trying to pursue one. I’m not always entirely successful at that."
He added that there are "quite a lot" of unused story ideas from Season 1 that he'd plan for Season 2, particularly with Jonathan Banks' Henry/Bud:
"There’s quite a lot. It was never really properly in the script or anything, but there are a lot of extra bits and pieces, particularly with Bud and Henry and various conspiracy theorists, and the bloke, Ian Rogers, who he throws off the cruise ship. There’s a fair amount of stuff that’s been saved up for a rainy day in the future. There’s just a lot to tell about it."
Regarding a second season, Harness teased, "It’s really interesting to start stories where you would normally finish them," insinuating that Season 1 is the "fifth act or sixth act" of this story:
"Even if we get to the end of a certain chapter in the lives of those characters, in my mind at least, there’s a very deep and interesting and rich history about how that happened in the first place, what it was like for the first people it happened to, what the history of it has been, how it’s been for Bud and Henry and Irene and others to live through, what it’s going to look like for them going forward, and what their lives are going to be like. I always think it’s really interesting to start stories where you would normally finish them, like doing a fifth act or sixth act."
Season 1 was all about Noomi Rapace's Jo being "trapped in space, and then coming back to Earth," and while it seems like that story has ended, the Constellation creative could not help but question, "And then what:"
The gravity of the story is Jo trapped in space, and then coming back to earth. And then, it’s always really interesting just to say, 'And then what? And then what?' Even if stories do reach a natural conclusion, then you’re still sending those characters out into the world to live with those problems and those memories. If you can continue unpacking that in an interesting way, then stories can go on and on and on. So, there’s a lot of stuff.
Speaking with Screen Rant about where Season 2 stands from a logistical standpoint, Harness said, "I would love to do a series 2," but fans "will have to wait and see for any information about that:"
"Well, I would love to do a series 2, but we will have to wait and see for any information about that. The first series might have taken seven years to kind of map out, but part of that was kind of really getting to know who the characters were, and what had happened to them, what their backstory was, and the rules of the universe and things like that."
He revealed he has "been thinking for years about what might happen next" but could not say if a sophomore effort had been rubberstamped:
"So, the direction of travel is a lot easier to think about going forward, because I know all those stories now. I've been thinking for years about what might happen next. Were we to have many seasons of it, I've got a lot of it in my head, and I know what the last kind of beat of it will probably be. So, yeah, hopefully it won't take seven years this time, because then I'll be 100 years old by the time we finished the thing."
How Likely Is Constellation Season 2?
While there are plenty of avenues the Constellation story could go down should it be given a second season on Apple TV+, there is no guarantee it will be afforded that luxury.
Showrunner Peter Harness is evidently passionate about the series, as he is seemingly packed full of story ideas for the science fiction thriller. However, just because he has ideas does not mean he will get to act upon them.
The series earned a respectable 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critiques noting the show's labyrinthian multiversal plot and lackluster pacing.
Demand has been high for the series (according to Parrot Analytics), but if that translated into strong viewership numbers remains to be seen.
Taking these factors into account, it seems likely Apple TV+ would greenlight a second season of Constellation.
But, on a streamer that has no lack of stellar science fiction content (i.e. Silo, Severance, and For All Mankind), it also would not be surprising if the series ended up being one-and-done. The streamer could potentially look to spend its money elsewhere.
If/when Season 2 is greenlit, it will be quite some time before it ever sees the light of day, as Peter Harness made clear—writing on Season 2 has not yet even started.
Constellation Season 1 is now streaming on Apple TV+.
