Space Force – Picture: Netflix
Space Force is one of Netflix’s biggest comedy projects to date with Steve Carrell once again returning for its second season. Will there be a season 3 of the show? What can we expect from a new season and how well has season 2 performed? Let’s take a look.
Netflix gave Space Force a season 2 several months after it premiered. The first season was released back in May 2020 but a renewal didn’t come until November 2020. Season 2 was released on Netflix globally on February 18th, 2022.
Has Netflix Renewed Space Force for season 3?
Official Netflix Renewal Status: Not Yet Renewed
Our Renewal Prediction: 50/50 (last updated: February 21st)
As of late February 2022, there’s been no decision on the future of Space Force at Netflix but a season 3 is planned if the season 2 finale is anything to go by.
We typically hear of renewals around a month or two after new seasons of shows premiere.
The reason why we suspect the show could be at risk of cancelation is because of how it was renewed for a second season and specifically how it got a budget cut and a change of filming location.
As you may know, season 2 moved its production to Vancouver from Los Angeles to save on costs and saw a shakeup in the writer’s room. It also saw its episode count reduced from 10 to 7.
The lower budget could suggest that season 1 didn’t quite meet expectations but rather than let the series go, it gave it another chance. Unless the show can do the numbers (more on this in a second) it’s unlikely we’ll see a third entry.
One bright spot for the series future is that review consensus for the second season seems to be a bit better albeit it’s got fewer reviews at the time of publishing.
Rotten Tomatoes scores for Space Force
How well is Space Force season 2 performing on Netflix?
As we stated above, what a third season renewal will come down to is viewership.
Through various methods, we can get a hint as to how well the series is doing but the reality is we won’t have a full picture until around the middle of March.
Season 1 managed to be watched by 40 million subscribers in its first month but sadly, we won’t be getting a compatible figure for this season.
Instead, we’ll be getting hourly data which we can then compare against other comedies. We’re expecting the first batch of hourly data to be available to us on February 22nd, 2022.
Thanks to top 10 data provided by FlixPatrol we know that the series didn’t get off to the best of starts around the world. In the United States, the series entered the TV top 10 at number 5 for both its first and second day on the service. It was beaten out by the likes of Inventing Anna, Love is Blind, Sweet Magnolias, and The Cuphead Show!.
Below, you can see which countries saw the show survive longest in the top 10s. It’s naturally popular in regions such as the United States and Canada but also performed well in Australia, some Eastern European countries, and Nordic regions.
Popularity map for Space Force Season 2
What to expect from Space Force Season 3
By the end of season 2, we find most of the characters in the same position as they were in going into the second season.
Most of the characters have opted to stick around at Space Force having now received their pay rises and the future of the branch of military secured.
Of course, season 2 ends on a cliffhanger in the form of a big asteroid hurtling towards the Earth (yes, the exact plot to Netflix’s Don’t Look Up). The crew all discover the asteroid thanks to the Hawaiin telescope coming online.
Once the astronauts, scientists and generals all spot the upcoming asteroid and come to terms with their impending doom they break out in song (singing Kokomo by The Beach Boys) which is a throwback to season 1.
We’ll be keeping this post updated over the next month as we await viewing stats for the new season and can more accurately predict if it’ll be returning for a third season.
Do you want to see Space Force return for season 3 at Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.