Published Apr 5, 2026, 11:55 AM EDT
Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.
It's been four years since the first season of The Terminal List, so will there still be an audience waiting for the long delayed second season? Based on the Jack Carr novels, The Terminal List cast Chris Pratt as a Navy SEAL who goes on a rampage after his wife and child are murdered by unknown forces.
The Terminal List's ending set the stage for the next season, and there's plenty of source material for the show to work with. Of course, Chris Pratt's movie career hasn't exactly slowed down, so finding the time for the star to commit to another eight-episode season has proven tricky.
Why It's Taken Four Years For The Terminal List Season 2 To Arrive
Justin Lubin / AmazonIn the years since the series debuted, Pratt has fronted movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Electric State and Mercy, in addition to voicing both Garfield and Mario. In short, he's had a jam-packed schedule since wrapping The Terminal List, and it took years to find a gap to film season 2.
Thankfully, the new series is now wrapped and in post-production. The Terminal List season 2 adapts Carr's second James Reece thriller, True Believer, and is set to debut in late 2026. While it's not unheard of for a streaming show to take a couple of years before seasons, the gap between Terminal List seasons is pretty glaring.
The four-year wait between series means most audiences will have forgotten the events of the original show, and may no longer be invested in returning. The Terminal List has often been compared to Prime's own Reacher, as they're both novel adaptations following tough ex-military characters.
Reacher also debuted in 2022, but by contrast to The Terminal List, it has produced three series thus far, with another series and a spinoff arriving in 2026. That's made it one of Prime's most successful shows, and it makes The Terminal List look downright lazy by comparison.
Prime Produced The Terminal List Prequel Dark Wolf To Ease The Gap
In Amazon's defense, they realized early that it might take some time for Pratt's workload to ease up. That's why in 2023 they ordered The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, a prequel that detailed what led Reece's former best friend Ben (Taylor Kitsch) down a dark path.
The prequel arrived in 2025 and received even warmer reviews than its 2022 parent show. Pratt also made several guest appearances on Dark Wolf, and it introduced Tom Hopper as Raife, a key supporting character from The Terminal List books.
The prequel's success also bodes well for the main show's return. That said, it could be argued Dark Wolf's standalone nature meant audiences who hadn't watched The Terminal List could enjoy it just fine. Either way, it kept the franchise on people's radar after a three-year absence.
The Terminal List Can't Risk Another Long Hiatus
Image courtesy of Everett CollectionThe worst-case scenario would be that people who enjoyed the first series don't bother return for the belated second season. While excitement might have dimmed, it's also doubtful an action show fronted by Pratt would truly flop when it finally hits Prime.
It was a gamble for Prime to expect audiences would wait so long for it to return, but assuming a third series happens, The Terminal List can not take the same hiatus. Even genuine fans might switch off if season 3 takes another 4 years to happen.
There's a world where The Terminal List is just as popular as Reacher, but it needs to build more momentum. If season 2 is another hit for Prime, they must roll right into the next series to keep people invested.
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Created by David DiGilio, Jack Carr
First TV Show The Terminal List
Latest TV Show The Terminal List: Dark Wolf
First Episode Air Date July 1, 2022
Cast Chris Pratt, Constance Wu, Taylor Kitsch, Riley Keough, Arlo Mertz, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tom Hopper, Luke Hemsworth, Dar Salim, Robert Wisdom
Spin-offs The Terminal List: Dark Wolf
The Terminal List is an American action-thriller franchise adapted from Jack Carr’s 2018 novel. Premiering as a Prime Video series in 2022, it follows Navy SEAL Commander James Reece (Chris Pratt) as he uncovers betrayals and conspiracies after his platoon’s ambush. A new prequel, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, explores the backstory of Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch), adding depth to the expanding cinematic universe.
English (US) ·