Netflix's Untamed Success: Rethinking Miniseries Release Strategy

Netflix's Untamed had nearly a billion views in 2025, and this success is a sign that the company should adjust its release strategy. The crime drama series, which stars Eric Bana, was released on July 17, 2025, and quickly climbed to Netflix's #1 spot in the US. Later that same month, Untamed was confirmed for a second season.

Untamed wasn't perfect, but it was definitely a crowd-pleaser. The show's six episodes made it an ideal weekend binge, with each installment effectively carrying the overarching mystery forward. It's a whodunit through and through, but Untamed's central character and the wild backdrop of Yosemite National Park added a certain haunting and melancholic quality. Overall, it should be no real surprise that the series was renewed, except that Untamed ​​​​​​was never supposed to expand beyond its six episodes.

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

Untamed wasn't designed to have a multi-season story. It was written as a limited series with a single installment of six episodes that covered a complete story arc. However, with 93 million views in 2025, it's no surprise that Netflix wanted to keep the success going.

While the mystery of (what is now) season 1 was solved, there was potential for Bana's character to be confronted with other crimes in the endless forests of Yosemite. Or, perhaps new characters could solve crimes in other "untamed" locations. So, Netflix almost immediately scrapped Untamed's miniseries status as if it never existed.

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

With the arrival of a new year, Netflix released viewership data for July to December 2025. The spreadsheet details many of the most-watched movies and TV shows of this period, and Untamed sits at the top of the "drama" section. Interestingly, it's not the only limited series to have garnered a lot of attention during this second half of the year.

Of the five drama projects Netflix listed as its top performers, three are limited series, with Hostage and The Beast in Me joining Untamed. Given this trend, it's likely that we will see even more miniseries extended with multiple seasons. After all, Netflix can't say no to that kind of success.

Since Netflix is likely to simply extend limited series if they trend well, the platform may as well shift its release plan. These types of projects appeal to viewers because of the promise that the story arc will come to a satisfying close by the end. This can still be achieved by full series if they are approached like anthologies. Worst case, the first season doesn't perform well, but audiences aren't left hanging. Best case, a great story gets several more self-contained seasons.

Other Streaming Services & Networks Have Been Renewing "Miniseries"

Netflix isn't the only streaming service or production company that has been renewing miniseries for second seasons. A great example is HBO's Task, another crime thriller that resolved its story within that first batch of episodes. The project continues to trend on HBO Max, and the company officially confirmed that a second season is on the way.

Interestingly, audiences have a lot of power over whether a miniseries is renewed. If we want more, a production company can hardly deny us. In the future, this could be a standard approach for a wide variety of projects. The public gets a story, then decides whether we get another one under that brand and title—no cliffhangers, and no ongoing adventures that overstay their welcome. Given the data, Netflix may lead the way with this strategy.