At Annecy, Tartakovsky did mention season 3 in brief, "It's on another level. Of everything we did before, the third one is even better. I don't want to exaggerate, but I've rarely felt as proud of a project as this one."
"Primal" News & Discussion Thread
- Thread starter PinkieLopBun
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Always nice when you can keep improving, season after season
.That doesn’t sound like this year talk, so probably in the 2026 premier pool.
Season 3 premieres early 2026.
“It’s a new level. Everything that we did in the first season, we upped a bit in the second season, and the third season is even more. I can’t say anything without giving everything away, but it’s just more, and it’s shocking, and it’s unstoppable. At some point, you’re like, ‘I can’t believe I’m watching this.’ Quality-wise, animation-wise, story-wise, emotionally, I don’t want to oversell it, but rarely have I been proud of a project like this. At the end of the day, we’ll have these 30 episodes, and thinking back to Dexter and Powerpuff Girls and even Samurai Jack, how much our quality wavered just because of the process and everything, this is just so solid. And to have 30 solid, incredible [episodes] for a modest budget, I’m really proud of it.”
“It’s a new level. Everything that we did in the first season, we upped a bit in the second season, and the third season is even more. I can’t say anything without giving everything away, but it’s just more, and it’s shocking, and it’s unstoppable. At some point, you’re like, ‘I can’t believe I’m watching this.’ Quality-wise, animation-wise, story-wise, emotionally, I don’t want to oversell it, but rarely have I been proud of a project like this. At the end of the day, we’ll have these 30 episodes, and thinking back to Dexter and Powerpuff Girls and even Samurai Jack, how much our quality wavered just because of the process and everything, this is just so solid. And to have 30 solid, incredible [episodes] for a modest budget, I’m really proud of it.”
It always felt weird to me that this show is getting a third season. Fang and Spear's story ended with season 2, yet Genndy intends to continue this series as an anthology (much like "The Primal Theory" that aired three years ago).
Wouldn't it have made more sense to create a new series instead of attaching it to a series that has had a single continual narrative for two whole seasons?
Wouldn't it have made more sense to create a new series instead of attaching it to a series that has had a single continual narrative for two whole seasons?
Something something...branding
.
NYCC panel info:
"After winning five Emmy Awards, the third season of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal is set to return to Adult Swim. Join animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky for a first look at the new season of the acclaimed animated series."
Thu., Oct. 9, 6:30 PM, Room 405
"After winning five Emmy Awards, the third season of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal is set to return to Adult Swim. Join animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky for a first look at the new season of the acclaimed animated series."
Thu., Oct. 9, 6:30 PM, Room 405
I fear the early 2026 release date means Toonami will start the year in stall mode again. Because for some reason we have to roll out the red carpet for reruns of this show.
The show will be included in the Adult Swim: New, Newer, Newest panel at the Manchester Animation Festival on November 10. (Can't link directly to the panel listing).
Adult Swim is a powerhouse of adult animation, delivering award-winning, critically acclaimed series globally. Join Mark Taynton, Head of Adult Swim EMEA, for a screening packed full of exclusive sneak peeks of episodes from forthcoming series including Smiling Friends, Haha, You Clowns and Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, and other animated delights that continue to push the boundaries of the medium.
Adult Swim is a powerhouse of adult animation, delivering award-winning, critically acclaimed series globally. Join Mark Taynton, Head of Adult Swim EMEA, for a screening packed full of exclusive sneak peeks of episodes from forthcoming series including Smiling Friends, Haha, You Clowns and Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, and other animated delights that continue to push the boundaries of the medium.
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Sneak peek at season 3 will be uploaded in a few hours now.
Edit: its time is now!
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So I guess they're abandoning the anthology idea? Good to know. That would've been weird, anyway.
This looks like a cool idea for a continuation.
This looks like a cool idea for a continuation.
Yeah, article indicates he had second thoughts and decided to keep the canon going. But who knows, there could still be a random stand along episode.
Did not expect a Zombie Spear. Must be related to that Zombie dinosaur or that witch coven in season 1. The latter because of the green eye imagery. Hmm, did look like a demon the coven was sacrificing people to. And this will be Zombie Spear operating on a drive to return to Fang and Mira, not knowing he's got a daughter.
Hmm, and what will happen Zombie Spear can be domesticated by Mira and co or will they seek out a magic to undo the spell - putting back at rest or will be alive again...
edit: He mentioned they had an idea for something like Primal Theory set in the 30th century but they couldn't get it to work.
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Kitschensyngk
The kids are all wrong
So Spear is alive AND he made a heel turn?
I don’t think they were ever serious about the anthology thing. Or at least, not in a way they could squeeze 10 full episodes out of it.
This whole storyline kinda feels like Genndy put a bow on everything with S2, and then they told him to make S3 and he had to get creative.
The biggest complaint from this shows fanbase was the excessive focus on Mira, and this synopsis makes it sound like this is not only another “let’s find Mira!” season, but she will also be the core factor on if Spear can be fixed. Real tone deaf from the production side.
This whole storyline kinda feels like Genndy put a bow on everything with S2, and then they told him to make S3 and he had to get creative.
The biggest complaint from this shows fanbase was the excessive focus on Mira, and this synopsis makes it sound like this is not only another “let’s find Mira!” season, but she will also be the core factor on if Spear can be fixed. Real tone deaf from the production side.
He's on the record saying season 3 will be like season 1.
From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:
"Until today we didn’t know much about Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Season 3, other that it would not continue the storyline of seasons 1 and 2. Genndy spoke of making the series more of an anthology, following a different “primal” character in future seasons. The fact that he killed off Spear, the caveman at the center of the story, seemed to solidify this decision.
Well, forget all that. A 60-second trailer for Primal Season 3 was released today as part of New York Comic Con, and unexpectedly, Spear is in it…as a zombie. We thought that couldn’t possibly be the case and that this was another caveman that just happened to resemble Spear, but no…Genndy confirmed it himself to the press. Season 3 is about Zombie Spear.
If this feels like it contradicts everything he said before, that’s because it does. Genndy wasn’t lying back then, he just changed his mind. “I thought I would do an anthology,” the website Polygon quotes him as saying. “Primal is the brand, and then here’s a new subheading. I started developing new things… but it didn’t click.” His initial idea, as he describes it, was some kind of reinterpretation of Adam and Eve with aliens. But it wasn’t working and he realized he missed Spear. “All of a sudden this idea popped into my head and I wrote down eight episodes instantly.”"
Read the full article here.
"The Primal Season 3 Reveal Teaser Is Quite The Twist"
"Until today we didn’t know much about Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Season 3, other that it would not continue the storyline of seasons 1 and 2. Genndy spoke of making the series more of an anthology, following a different “primal” character in future seasons. The fact that he killed off Spear, the caveman at the center of the story, seemed to solidify this decision.
Well, forget all that. A 60-second trailer for Primal Season 3 was released today as part of New York Comic Con, and unexpectedly, Spear is in it…as a zombie. We thought that couldn’t possibly be the case and that this was another caveman that just happened to resemble Spear, but no…Genndy confirmed it himself to the press. Season 3 is about Zombie Spear.
If this feels like it contradicts everything he said before, that’s because it does. Genndy wasn’t lying back then, he just changed his mind. “I thought I would do an anthology,” the website Polygon quotes him as saying. “Primal is the brand, and then here’s a new subheading. I started developing new things… but it didn’t click.” His initial idea, as he describes it, was some kind of reinterpretation of Adam and Eve with aliens. But it wasn’t working and he realized he missed Spear. “All of a sudden this idea popped into my head and I wrote down eight episodes instantly.”"
Read the full article here.
The anthology story is not a bad idea but I see it more for a spin-off show rather than something for the main series, so I'm not surprised Tartakovsky is bringing back Spear, even in zombie form. Just curious to see how long the show can go, especially if season 3 does well for them.
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