Lost In Space - What We Know So Far
Contains spoilers for Lost in Space through season 2
The Robinsons are coming back for one more season of out-of-this-world danger.
Netflix's family-friendly sci-fi adventure — and one of the most expensive TV series reboots ever made — has been renewed for a third and final season, according to Deadline. The news came three months after the Christmas Eve release of the streaming series' shocking season 2 finale, which saw the Robinsons split up across space once again after fighting off a cutthroat ship officer, a massive alien robot attack, and their colony's near-certain demise.
The Swiss Family Robinson-inspired series and modern reimagining of the 1960s show is set 30 years in the future, and follows the Robinson family of five who are among those tested and selected to travel across the galaxy and help build a new world. On their way, the space colonists' ship is thrown off course and the family must use their specialized skills — with the help of a friendly but deadly alien robot — to survive the intergalactic elements. Lost in Space, which first debuted back in April 2018, will close out its run across the galaxy with an unspecified amount of episodes.
Following the announcement of the bitter-sweet renewal, Ted Biaselli, director of original series at Netflix, championed the "action-packed and visually spectacular" family-friendly drama and thanked its various creative helmers for giving the Robinsons' new life on the small screen. "We are so thrilled to share more adventures of The Robinson Family and see their journey through to what is sure to be an epic finale," Biaselli said. "We can't wait for our family audiences to see where season 3 will lead!"
With the renewal news still fresh and production not yet started as of this writing, there's very little confirmed about what stunning and harrowing new adventures await the Robinsons when they return for their final journey. Still, here's everything we know about Lost in Space season 3 so far.
What's the release date for Lost in Space season 3?
The real reason behind Lost in Space's cancellation – that it was always envisioned as a three-season-only show — fired up fans, but ultimately landed with few details about the final season. However, it's still unclear when viewers can expect to have the Robinsons, the Robot (Brian Steele), the mechanic-slash-smuggler Don West (Ignacio Serricchio), and the criminal Dr. Smith (Parker Posey) back in their television orbit. The good news is that TV's favorite space family has charted a pretty consistent course when it comes to episode drops, which means there's plenty of existing data to help narrow down when the Robinsons may return.
Production on the first 10 episodes of Lost in Space ran from January to June 2017, with season 1 officially debuting almost 10 months later on April 13, 2018. Lost in Space season 2 followed a similar shooting and release schedule, with Netflix dropping the next 10 episodes on December 24, 2019 after filming wrap in January 2019. Seasons weren't filmed consecutively, and coupled with the 10-month gaps between when production wrapped and when each season officially debuted, it seemingly takes around a year and a half to churn out 10 episodes of Lost in Space.
Breaks between seasons on Netflix shows tend to last around a year — especially for series that are popular, less reliant on VFX, and/or can be shot on sound stages rather than needing to film on location. Lost in Space was one of the best Netflix originals of 2018, with the streamer reporting that season 1 garnered the third-highest premiere-day viewership that year, behind only season 2 of Stranger Things and the Will Smith sci-fi drama Bright. But it's also shot everywhere from Vancouver to Iceland, and is set in a digitally-created outer space, meaning it requires a bit more time to launch each season.
For now, the release date for Lost in Space is a mystery — further complicated by the innumerable production shutdowns that occurred as a result of coronavirus fears in early March 2020.
What's the plot of Lost in Space season 3?
Seasons 1 and 2 of Lost in Space both offered their own uniquely intense set of threats, and season 3 should be no different. On season 1, the Robinsons are torn from their course on the Resolute after a powerful alien robot breaches the massive ship's hull, forcing them to escape in a small craft. After becoming stranded on a strange planet, they must survive the elements, each other, mysterious fellow survivors Don and Smith, and a towering, deadly robot whose allegiance is unclear to all but the youngest Robinson, Will (Maxwell Jenkins)
Lost in Space season 2 follows the family as they continue to tackle their personal demons and interpersonal conflicts to reunite with the Resolute. But they soon discover that not every member of their colony can be trusted, hanging the future of the human race on the Robinsons' ability to come together once again at the edges of space.
As part of the season 3 renewal announcement, showrunner Zack Estrin shared how the Robinsons' journey was always going to be a trilogy, mirroring the 1960s TV series' three-season run. In addition to sharing his excitement over delivering Lost in Space's "rousing" conclusion, Estrin divulged a few other details about the plot of Lost in Space season 3: "With what these characters go through just trying to survive each episode — if anyone deserves to catch their breath before their next mission — it's Will, Penny, Judy, Maureen, John, Don West, Dr. Smith... and The Robot. And, of course, Debbie the Chicken."
At this point, fans can only assume season 3 will address those major season 2 finale cliffhangers, including whether Judy (Taylor Russell) can steer a ship full of the Resolute's youngest passengers to safety; whether Maureen (Molly Parker), John (Toby Stephens), and Don can reunite with the youngest Robinsons; and if Smith — and that army of killer robots — are really gone.
Who's in the cast of Lost in Space season 3?
Despite having a giant traveling space colony as their co-stars, Lost in Space's key crew has mostly remained the same across seasons. Black Sails actor Toby Stephens stars as the Robinsons' former marine and stalwart patriarch John, while Deadwood and House of Cards actress Molly Parker plays the fierce and brilliant Robinson matriarch, Maureen. The young Maxwell Jenkins embodies Will, the rosy-cheeked, guiding light with the robotic connection. Taylor Russell is in the role of the level-headed and resolute Judy, starring alongside Mina Sundwall as the red-headed, quick-witted Penny. Parker Posey also appears as the manipulative career criminal Smith, otherwise known as June Harris, while Ignacio Serricchio stars as the gruff-but-loyal ship mechanic Don, a recurring character on season 1 before becoming a series regular on season 2.
The Robinsons added a few other faces to their intergalactic team on Lost in Space season 2, whom fans should expect to see back on season 3. That includes stars like Ajay Friese, who plays Vijay Dhar, the son of colony representative and Penny's love interest. Introduced for the first time on season 2 were JJ Feild as Officer Ben Adler, Jarret John as Neil Caird, Sakina Jaffrey as Captain Kamal, Tattiawna Jones as Ava, Alison Araya as Aubrey Azevedo, Aria DeMaris as Isabel Azevedo, and more.
While there haven't been any newly confirmed castings for Lost in Space season 3 yet, one of the biggest season 2 plot lines may produce a character the Robinsons long thought gone. That's Judy's biological father Grant Kelly, who disappeared along with his ship, the Fortuna, 20 years earlier. One of the last moments of the second season reveals that Will's robot has navigated Judy and the ship full of kids to the Fortuna's location — raising questions about what (or who) might have survived since its disappearance. There's still much to know about the Robinsons' final journey back to one another across space, but this forthcoming bit of casting news will undoubtedly hold the key to the series' ultimate resolution.