Will There Be A Carnival Row Season 3?

Ah, "Carnival Row," we hardly knew ye. The Prime Video fantasy political drama starring Cara Delevingne and Orlando Bloom as star-crossed lovers will finally be returning for season 2 after Covid-related delays, but the series' second season will also be its last. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Carnival Row" will return to Prime Video with the second season premiere on February 17, 2023. The 10-episode second season will air weekly after the premiere, giving fans a taste of traditional cable-style episode releases in their streaming diet. 

While some fans are sure to be saddened by the news that "Carnival Row" is coming to an end, it's not the most surprising thing in the world given the show's enormous budget, massive cast, and delays in production. Big, expansive genre shows are always a gamble, and "Carnival Row" is a niche flavor of fantasy and political drama that just might not catch the eye of larger audiences. 

It's always a bummer finding out that a show you loved is coming to an end, but it seems like the folks behind "Carnival Row" knew the end was coming and have written a second season that will wrap things up, at least to some degree. The ending of season 1 left the whole series in upheaval, so there's plenty of chances for interesting twists and turns in season 2 that could come to a satisfying conclusion. Not every show needs to be "Doctor Who" and last forever, you know. Be thankful — you could be a "Westworld" superfan right now, with the world's worst cliffhanger forever lodged in your mind. 

Season 2 of "Carnival Row" looks like it's taken some hints from critics of the first season, delving into new storylines and tweaking the formula a bit. While the series will still be about Delevingne's Fae rebel Vignette and the half-Fae Inspector Philo (Bloom), it looks like they're also going to be expanding on the series' rebellion subplots, and hopefully fleshing out the rest of the characters in the Fae ghetto a bit more. Either way, season 2 should be an interesting spectacle of fairy wings, freedom fighters, and thinly-veiled allegories. My biggest issue with the series was the lack of chemistry between the two leads, so seeing that there will be a focus on the other characters makes me more keen to check out the second and final season. Sometimes it's refreshing to know when a thing is going to end. 

The second season of "Carnival Row" premieres February 17, 2023 exclusively on Prime Video.