NBC diving back into primeval sci-fi sinkhole 'La Brea' with Season 2 renewal

Are you ready for more adventures at the bottom of a mysterious sinkhole leading to a primeval world that time forgot? Good, because NBC just renewed La Brea for a second season! Created by David Applebaum (NCIS: New Orleans, The Enemy Within), the hit series takes its name after the famed — and archaeologically rich — tar pits located in Los Angeles.

Its story kicks off with the aforementioned sinkhole, which suddenly appears in the middle of Hollywood. Those who fell in find themselves in a harsh new landscape that wouldn't feel out of place during our planet's antediluvian past. Meanwhile, the world above attempts to figure out the origin of the natural disaster that tore Tinseltown a new...well, do we really have to say it?

The past several weeks have deepened the twisty, sci-fi mythology of the series with everything from a rescue mission to some wild reveals in the world below (no spoilers here), and it seems there will be plenty of time now to start unraveling them well into 2022.

Since its broadcast debut in late September, La Brea has attracted nearly 50 million viewers across linear and digital platforms, making it the top new program of fall 2021. The pilot alone drew in almost 20 million people.

Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chiké Okonkwo, Karina Logue, Zyra Gorecki, Jack Martin, Veronica St. Clair, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie, and Chloe De Los Santos co-star.

Applebaum, who is also showrunner, serves as an executive producer alongside Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt, Ken Woodruff, Arika Lisanne Mittman, and Adam Davidson.

"Family is really at the core of the show in a big way, which is something very different from Lost," Applebaum told SYFY WIRE ahead of the Season 1 premiere. "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."

"There are a lot of great characters and more characters are introduced that have different stories that are incredibly relatable," added Lilien. "I think people can hook onto that and be like I totally get that, or I wish I had that second chance. Or, I wish I would have done things differently. That's why people are really hooked on to these characters that are thrust into this amazing situation, but still feel incredibly relatable."

The show's next episode ("Origins") premieres on NBC next Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. EST.

NBC & SYFY WIRE are both owned by NBCUniversal