La Brea Season 3 Renewal Confirmed, May Be NBC Show’s Last

La Brea will be back for season 3 — but it could be the show’s last, due to a potential writers strike and a much shorter episode count than usual.

La Brea season 3 is confirmed, but it could be the show’s last. The sci-fi drama, which premiered on NBC in September 2021, quickly distinguished itself with its premise: It features the memorable beginning of a massive sinkhole opening right in the middle of Los Angeles that pulls people into the dangerous environment of 10,000 B.C. As the rest of the world does its best to figure out what exactly happened, the series follows a specific group of characters that includes the family of Gavin Harris (Eoin Macken), his daughter Izzy (Zyra Gorecki), his estranged wife Eve (Natalie Zea), and son Josh (Jack Martin).

According to Deadline, NBC has ordered La Brea season 3. The renewal is reportedly for six episodes, which is significantly shorter than season 1, which had ten, and La Brea season 2, which is currently airing and will run for 14. It’s noted that the shorter episode count is influenced by the possibility of a writers/actors strike, and that the third outing could be the show’s final season. NBC has yet to confirm the news, but it’s noted the cast were offered a release from the show in exchange for agreeing to reduce their contractual minimum guarantees to six episodes. That would make the actors available for other projects.

Related: Is La Brea A Reboot Of Land Of The Lost?

Why A New Writers Strike Might Occur

There are several reasons why a writers strike could happen. In the era of Peak TV, even with a lot of shows to go around (almost 600 scripted series by 2022’s estimate), episode counts are relatively shorter than they have been in the past. Most shows don’t run beyond ten episodes, with some hovering around six-to-eight. Shows are also often very creator-driven, such as HBO’s teen drama Euphoria, for which creator Sam Levinson wrote every season 2 episode. All of this means writers have less of an opportunity to be credited for their work, and get paid accordingly.

There are other issues at play, such as the minimum pay not keeping up with inflation and writers being asked to send in pitches (and multiple revisions of those pitches) without being paid in return. But the biggest issue is how streaming has negatively impacted residual compensation. Because streaming metrics are kept a mystery, it’s hard to know how much those who worked on the series should be paid, even if the show appears to be very popular. In essence, the writers are pushing for fairer and more transparent pay. If an agreement isn’t reached by May 1, which is when the current deal expires, a widespread strike could happen.

Everything We Know About La Brea Season 3

Prior to La Brea season 2 returning from its winter finale, Eve and Gavin lept into a sinkhole. As a result, they left 1988 to reunite with their children in the much more dangerous times of 10,000 B.C. David Appelbaum, the showrunner and executive producer, has also teased a few surprises involving Lucas (Josh McKenzie); the character steps up, protecting other people. Other survivors will likewise be facing their own struggles in their clearings. Given the sci-fi’s unpredictable nature, and given that it has several more episodes to go, the state of play will likely change well before the third and potentially final installment.

Source: Deadline