Y: The Last Man showrunner promises 'propulsive' second season if series can find a new home

Y: The Last Man aired its first season finale Monday night, and as far as anyone knows right now that finale, "Victoria," could be the end of the show entirely. Fans waited years to see an adaptation of the beloved Brian K. Vaughan/Pia Guerra comic about a world in which all but two mammals with Y chromosomes were wiped out, and now the FX on Hulu series is on the brink of being wiped out itself after just 10 episodes of what showrunner Eliza Clarke has called a five-season, 50-episode series plan. Still, hope for a revival is out there, and Clarke is already teasing what a second season of the series would look like. 

Speaking to TV Insider about the season finale Monday night, Clarke confirmed reports that the show's pandemic-hampered production timeline was partially to blame for FX's cancellation decision, but also teased that "conversations" are happening "this week" about where the show could potentially go next, setting the stage for a rescue by another network or streaming service in the coming weeks. With that in mind, Clarke also teased where the series might go next if it does get that second season rescue. 

**Spoilers ahead for Y: The Last Man Season 1**

The first season of Y: The Last Man was very much about the world and the show's major characters coming to grips with their new positions in society after the apocalyptic mass extinction event that kicked off the series, and by the finale many key piece had moved into place after weeks of self-discovery and realization. We saw Yorick (Ben Schnetzer) and Agent 355 (Ashley Romans) on their way to the Culper Ring, the Amazons making power plays of their own, and Yorick's girlfriend Beth (Juliana Canfield) saving the president's (Diane Lane) life in a moment of confusion that suggests to some that the whole government may have just fallen.

It's all really meaty stuff in terms of setting the stage for what happens next, which leaves Clarke promising a "fun and propulsive" Season 2, should her team ever actually get to make it. 

"So much of the first season is about who these people are going to become," Clarke said. "By the end of the first 10 episodes, they’re becoming something new and next season is about stepping into those personas."

Among the big moves Clarke teased were Kimberly's (Amber Tamblyn) belief that she and Yorick are destined to have a child together and the formation of a new religion centered on that idea, the Amazons moving forward under Nora's leadership, and Yorick's race to a California genetics lab as "the noose is tightening" now that virtually every major character knows about his status. Then, of course, there's the idea of Yorick's own evolution as a character. 

"In the pre-apocalypse world, he was kind of aimless," Clarke said. "Unlike Beth, he didn’t have much ambition, and he felt he mattered only as long as he was her boyfriend. This season he dealt with survivor’s guilt because he knew that he’s an unimpressive guy. He’s begun to grow up a lot and trying to figure what he as a survivor can do for other people. At season’s end, he told 355 he wanted to be a contributing member to their mission, not just a piece of cargo. Season 2 would show a different Yorick, who may become a hero — but he definitely doesn’t start that way."

If nothing else, the series can claim a genre heavyweight as a fan, as author Stephen King took to Twitter in an effort to lobby for a second season in the wake of the finale.

Y: The Last Man's entire first season is now streaming on FX on Hulu.