One of Apple TV+'s latest thriller series came to a twist-heavy end on March 5 as Prime Target released its season finale. After diving into episode 8 and finding out what happens (no spoilers here!), viewers are likely wondering if that was, in fact, a season finale or if it was actually a series finale. Unfortunately, the streamer hasn't clued us in as of this writing.
Following the release of the season finale, Deadline caught up with Prime Target creator Steve Thompson to talk about everything from the plot of the series (which he'd been thinking about for 30 years!) to Edward's eccentric lapel pins to the various reveals that brought the season to an end. Deadline also asked about the possibility of season 2, but Thompson didn't have a promising update.
Here's what Thompson told Deadline about the prospect of a second season, with a couple vague spoiler bits thrown in for good measure:
"I’d love to think there would be [a season 2], but there are no assurances at this stage. We’ll see what happens with the response and see where it goes from here. Edward is now a rogue force. He has an extraordinary power and he’s out there in the world. So we teed it up and we’ll see what happens. We see him utilize it with his phone."
"There are no assurances at this stage" doesn't sound especially encouraging about Prime Target season 2 happening, but Thompson appears to feel good about where he left Edward at the end of episode 8. The show could easily return for another season and continue to follow additional adventures in this world, or the series could exist as a standalone miniseries.
Prime Target creator open to making season 2
The fact that Thompson seems to want to continue on with Prime Target season 2 negates the misconception that its a miniseries. Some sources on the internet will tell you that Prime Target is a miniseries, a one-and-done eight-episode thriller that has told its complete story. But Apple TV+ hasn't really given a concrete confirmation about the show's status.
It's becoming a more common, and ever so slightly manipulative, practice in streaming television to leave certain in-between shows unlabeled. There are many shows that you know are meant to have multiple seasons and aren't designated as limited or miniseries. Then there are the obvious limited series that receive that label, but you're still skeptical of its potential future.
Prime Target wasn't explicitly marketed as a miniseries, which seems to lend to the idea Thompson alluded to: "We’ll see what happens with the response and see where it goes from here." A lot of streamers will wait to see how a series performs before making a decision on what a series is and how finite its fate actually is. That's not totally fair, but it's an understandable method.
From the outside looking in, Prime Target struggled to break out of Severance's shadow. Although the series currently ranks as the No. 2 show on the Apple TV+ top TV shows chart, the series doesn't receive nearly as much discussion or have even a fraction of the buzz. Critically, Prime Target fizzled with a less-than-stellar 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Unless it's performing better viewership wise than we think for Apple TV+, Prime Target season 2 doesn't appear to be a safe bet. It's unfortunate, too, since the show has so much potential and an amazing leading duo in Leo Woodall and Quintessa Swindell. But sometimes less is more, and this series might be one to benefit from being a miniseries and not pushing its own limits.
Watch Prime Target only on Apple TV+.