2024 was a standout year for television and streaming, with several shows breaking out—both critically and with viewers. As these series end their first seasons, anticipation builds. Fans ask: Will there be a Season 2? When’s it coming? What will change? The most anticipated second seasons of hit 2024 shows promise more drama, more twists, deeper character arcs, and sometimes bigger production scale.

In this post, we’ll explore multiple shows that had standout first seasons in 2024 and whose second seasons are highly awaited. We’ll go into release date info (where available), expectations set by cliffhangers, what creators have teased, and why each show has captured audiences so strongly. This guide is for anyone wanting to stay up-to-date on what to stream next.
 

Severance (Apple TV+)
 

What Happened in Season 1 & Why It Made Waves

Severance is a sci-fi psychological thriller about employees at Lumon Industries who undergo a “severance” procedure: their work lives and personal lives are surgically separated. The first season earned praise for its bold concept, visual style, pacing, philosophical questions about identity and memory, and cliffhangers. Viewers were drawn to its mystery: Who is really pulling the strings at Lumon? What are the ethical and personal costs of severing your memories?

Its finale ended on big stakes—dramatic reveals and unfinished business. That naturally raised the bar for Season 2: expectations include more world-building, deeper character arcs for Mark, Helly, Irving, and others, and more answers (without losing the eerie ambiguity that made it compelling).

What We Know About Season 2

Release date and episode count: Severance Season 2 premiered January 17, 2025, on Apple TV+. It will consist of 10 episodes (one more than Season 1). 
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Schedule: Episodes are released weekly on Fridays, running through March 21, 2025. 
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Cast & returning themes: The ensemble returns—Adam Scott as Mark Scout, Britt Lower as Helly Riggs, Tramell Tillman, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, etc. New cast members and characters announced as well. 
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Why Fans Are So Excited & What to Watch For

The psychological tension: The cost and consequences of memory separation have huge personal and moral implications.

New revelations about Lumon: background of the severance procedure, perhaps the origins of key players, power dynamics, etc.

Character development: How will Mark handle the merged knowledge of his “innies” and “outies”? What about Helly, Irving, and Gemma?

Visual and narrative surprises: given the production delays and high expectations, hopes are high for richer production design, more cinematic moments, and unexpected twists.
 

The Night Agent (Netflix)
 

First Season Recap & Why It Drew Viewers

The Night Agent is a thriller-espionage series. In Season 1, Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) was a relatively low-level FBI agent working nights, who uncovers a massive conspiracy involving the White House, rogue agents, and political threats. The pacing was tight, the stakes high, and the cliffhangers meaningful. Viewership on Netflix was strong, and the show developed a fan base that wants more intrigue.

The first season’s success stemmed from combining political thriller tropes with more personal stakes—Peter’s relationships, moral conflict, and the danger of being a small cog in a big machine that’s broken.

What We Know About Season 2

Release & streaming: The Night Agent Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix as of January 23, 2025. All 10 episodes are available. 
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Plot teasers: Season 2 escalates Peter’s role—no longer just reactive. He’s diving into the secretive organization called “Night Action,” dealing with potential moles, and experimental weapons falling into the wrong hands. Trust is thinner; danger is more pervasive. 
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What Viewers Should Watch For & Hopes

How the show scales up: moving from intrigue and conspiracies to bigger threats. Will it maintain tight pacing?

Character relationships under pressure: inner circle breakdown, alliances, betrayals.

New characters and settings: introduction of new cast (Amanda Warren, etc.) suggests shifting power and stakes.

Balancing familiarity with surprises: viewers want more of what they liked (twists, suspense) but also new directions so it doesn’t feel repetitive.
 

While Severance and The Night Agent are two of the most visible, there are several other shows from 2024 whose first seasons created strong momentum and anticipation for what comes next.

Pachinko Season 2

Pachinko is a multi-generational family drama that follows Korean immigrants across decades. Its first season was critically praised and very popular. Rotten Tomatoes and critics placed strong marks on its emotional storytelling, production design, and cast. 
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Because of the richness of its storytelling, fans are eager to see how its family dynamics unfold, especially as the characters age, culture and identity challenges deepen, and historical events continue to affect them.

Queen of Tears

Another Korean drama that made waves in 2024, Queen of Tears performed exceedingly well in terms of viewership and critical reception. It generated buzz due to its production values, emotional stakes, and strong performances. 
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Anticipation for a potential follow-up or sequel is driven by audience investment in the characters and story arcs. While it’s unclear when or whether a second season will materialize (depending on story structure and source material), the show is often cited in lists of most anticipated returns.
 

What Makes a Second Season Worth Waiting For
 

For a second season to live up to its hype, several ingredients need to align. Based on what’s emerging with the shows above, these are key:

Story Momentum & Cliffhangers

Shows that ended Season 1 with unresolved stakes, mysteries, or clear narrative arcs needing resolution tend to build more anticipation. Severance’s cliffhanger, The Night Agent’s conspiracy threads—all give fans reasons to care.

Consistency in Quality & New Growth

Maintaining what worked first — tone, pacing, character depth — while introducing new complexities is critical. If a show abandons its strengths or repeats itself too much, the second season can feel like a retread.

Cast & Character Evolution

Returning cast members are often essential, but new ones also matter. Viewers want to see characters grow: morally, emotionally, or through changing circumstances. New characters should complicate the world, not merely pad it.

Production Scale & World-Building

Especially for shows with big premises or speculative elements (sci-fi, thriller, fantasy), expanding the world or stakes in visually interesting or thematically rich ways helps. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but thoughtful expansion can take a show from great to exceptional.
 

Second seasons come with heightened expectations, which increases the risk of missteps. Here are potential pitfalls:

Narrative Overreach

Trying to scale too fast, introducing too many new subplots, or resolving mysteries too quickly can harm tension and coherence.

Loss of Originality

When a show becomes formulaic or repeats beats that felt fresh in Season 1, viewers might feel let down.

Budget or Production Delays

Complex production (special effects, new locations, cast changes) often causes delays, which can affect momentum.

Unmet Fan Expectations

Cliffhangers set expectations. If the payoff isn’t satisfying—or diverges too far from what made viewers invested—there can be backlash.