NBC keeps the sci-fi sinkhole open! Time travel mystery series 'La Brea' renewed for Season 3

NBC will once again head down the primordial rabbit hole in a third season of La Brea, the network has announced. This renewal comes as the show prepares for the return of its second season later this evening with two new episodes.

Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chiké Okonkwo, Zyra Gorecki, Jack Martin, Veronica St. Clair, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie, Tonantzin Carmelo, and Michelle Vergara Moore comprise the principal cast.

RELATED: 'La Brea' star teases 'emotionally heavy' Season 2 finale to come ahead of midseason return

Described by NBC as an "epic family adventure," La Brea revolves around a group of characters fighting for their survival after a mysterious sinkhole in downtown Los Angeles sends them to a primeval land forgotten by time. A second storyline takes place "above ground," where those who did not fall into the strange pit attempt to solve the mystery of what caused it to open up in the first place. The story has only gotten more ambitious and sci-fi as its unfolded, with everything from future conspiracies and time travel now playing a part in the narrative.

"This story is about this family that's been separated. Half the family falls into the sinkhole, while the other half stays behind in modern Los Angeles," creator and showrunner David Appelbaum told SYFY WIRE after the series premiere. "And what was really important for the storytelling is that you have ways to connect these two stories. Even though they're separated, we find different ways that we can connect the story. In this search for how do we tell it in a unified story, that was really the genesis of [the series] idea."

He later added: "Family is really at the core of the show in a big way, which is something very different from Lost. Certainly, there are comparisons that will pop up. We were just starting to have fun with that in the pilot is we knew that it's inevitable because Lost is such a big show in our culture. But this one really diverges in a lot of significant ways, both thematically and in the world that we're creating."

Appelbaum serves as an executive producer on the show alongside Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Chris Hollier, Adam Davidson, Bryan Wynbrandt, Steven Lilien, Ken Woodruff, and Arika Lisanne Mittman.

The show is co-produced by Universal Television and Australia’s Matchbox Pictures (both are divisions of Universal Studio Group), in association with Keshet Studios. Season 1 — which aired between September and November of 2021 — was the top show of the fall in the 18-49 demographic. It was also the top new drama of the 2021-22 season in the same viewership bracket.

La Brea returns to NBC tonight at 9 p.m. EST with two new episodes (“Stampede” and “Murder in the Clearing”) airing back-to-back.

New episodes of La Brea air Tuesdays on NBC and are available to stream next-day on Peacock.