Prehistoric Planet Season Two Preview

A few months ago, it was unclear when Apple TV’s triumphant docuseries Prehistoric Planet would receive a second season. Many people – including myself, to be transparent – anticipated that a potential follow-up would take some time to arrive, definitely not within a year of the first season.

Yet, like all things Prehistoric Planet, our expectations have been blown through the roof.

On March 2^nd, Apple TV announced that the second season of Prehistoric Planet will be released on May 22^nd, nearly a full year after the series’ debut. Season two will once again feature Sir David Attenborough as narrator, with Iron Man’s Jon Favreau and paleontologist Darren Naish working behind the scenes to bring prehistoric Earth to life. With all significant contributors returning, there is no reason to anticipate any form of drop-off going forward.

While no trailer has been released thus far, some information has been made public. Season two will take audiences back to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, some 66 million years ago. Based on this, we can expect some of the stars of the first season – most notably Tyrannosaurus rex – to reappear at some point this season.

This doesn’t mean that all the dinosaurs of season two will be the same as the first. The only confirmed species to date is the Mongolian Ankylosaur Tarchia, a species only featured sparingly in background shots of season one. Other dinosaurs that may appear were featured only in season one’s deleted scenes, including Isisaurus, Rajasaurus, and Saltasaurus.

Beyond these dinosaurs, much of the content in season two remains a mystery. Some species not featured in season one that I think would be interesting to portray include:

• Pachycephalosaurus: The Pachycephalosaurs were the only major lineage of Maastrichtian dinosaurs not featured in season one, so it would be logical to include them here.
• Shantungosaurus: While hadrosaurids were a dime a dozen in the Maastrichtian, Shantungosaurus quite literally stands above the rest. At over 15 meters long and weighing more than 10 tonnes, Shantungosaurus was one of the largest land animals to ever exist. I would love to see a large predator (like the tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus) approach a Shantungosaurus, only to nope out of there after realizing just how big its potential prey is.

• Austroraptor: This large dromaeosaurid from Argentina is atypical for a raptor, making it the perfect choice for Prehistoric Planet. Its elongated snout and conical teeth would have been perfect for fishing, making this 5-meter-long raptor a massive prehistoric equivalent to a stork.
• Regaliceratops: Ceratopsians came in many shapes and sizes, so why not show them off? With short eyebrow horns and circular extensions along its frill, Regaliceratops exemplifies the beauty and unique appearances of the ceratopsian family.
• Xiphactinus: Prehistoric Planet has shown a tremendous ability to portray the animals living alongside dinosaurs, making Xiphactinus an ideal candidate for season two. At 6 meters long, this massive, carnivorous fish would have made a frightening sight in the waters of the late Cretaceous.
• Honorable Mentions: Thescelosaurus neglectus; Albertosaurus sarcophagus; Anzu wyliei; Majungasaurus crenatissimus; Balaur bondoc; Armadillosuchus arrudai; Champsosaurus.

Whether these species appear or not is inconsequential. The first season of Prehistoric Planet utilized a combination of well-known species like Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor alongside more obscure dinosaurs like Barsboldia and Olorotitan to craft a masterpiece, so it doesn’t matter what species are on screen. In Prehistoric Planet’s hands, it’s almost guaranteed that the content will be elite.

2023 is shaping up to be an amazing year for paleomedia. In a week, Adam Driver’s sci-fi movie 65 will feature a trip to the past full of fictional (and somewhat controversial) dinosaurs. Later this year, Netflix plans to release Life on Our Planet, a docuseries that includes everything from giant Carboniferous millipedes to Woolly Mammoths. The second season of Amazing Dinoworld, an underrated production streaming on CuriosityStream, will be released later this year too. Not to be ignored is Forgotten Bloodlines, an independent documentary about Miocene mammals that features Prehistoric Park star Nigel Marvin as narrator. The future of Forgotten Bloodlines is currently up in the air, so if you can donate, absolutely do so!

Is there anything you’d like to see from Prehistoric Planet’s second season? If so, leave it in the comments below! I’ve heard many people want to see the dancing Carnotaurus find a mate, and I couldn’t agree more! Though maybe he needs to change up his moves for next time…

Thank you for reading today’s article! As a side note, today was a special milestone for Max’s Blogosaurus: Article #100! After restarting this website back in 2018, I couldn’t have fathomed this much growth. Then the pandemic happened, and I had plenty of free time to write about what I love the most. So, thank you all for tuning in to Max’s Blogosaurus! If you’ve enjoyed any of the past 100 articles, I promise that more will be on the way soon!

I do not take credit for any images found in today’s article. All images belong to credited artists. Header Image courtesy of Apple TV+