Primal Creator Dishes on Season 3’s Trailer Secrets: “Expect the Unexpected”

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At New York Comic Con 2025, Genndy Tartakovsky revealed the first trailer for *Primal* Season 3, and we had a chance to discuss it with him. Adult Swim had a big presence at the convention, and a major highlight was giving fans a first look at the long-awaited third season. If you’ve seen Season 2, you’re likely wondering how the story will continue, and the trailer offers some clues.

The second season of *Primal* ended with a major surprise: the death of a key character, seemingly wrapping up the series. However, a recent preview of Season 3 has revealed a shocking twist. While Spear did die at the end of Season 2, he’s returning as a magically animated zombie and will once again be a central figure in the story.

ComicBook recently spoke with Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of *Primal*, about the show’s latest news and what fans can expect in Season 3. The new season is set to premiere on Adult Swim in January 2026. Below is a transcript of our conversation, edited for brevity and readability.

Genndy Tartakovsky Dishes on Primal Season 3

Congratulations on the new season of Primal! Many fans, myself included, were surprised to hear there would be a Season 3, especially after what felt like a definitive ending. But the new trailer is going to shock everyone even more. It looks like Spear might be… undead? Is that what we’re going to see in the new season?

GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY: Yeah, Spear’s a zombie.

I’m really curious how this idea came about. Before Season 2 ended, did you already know you’d be getting a third season and continuing the story? Or did the possibility of Season 3 come up afterward, and that’s when you started developing this idea?

I’d always envisioned *Primal* as more than just a show – I wanted it to be a recognizable brand of storytelling. It’s meant to be fast-paced, visually driven, with big action, strong emotions, and minimal dialogue. I had initially planned to switch up the story every season or two, and I thought I was finished with it. But when I started working on a new idea, it just wasn’t coming together. I kept getting drawn back to *Primal* because the second season had resonated with audiences so well. Honestly, I even questioned my decisions – I’d spent twenty episodes building up these characters and then killed one off. It felt natural to the story, but I wondered if I’d ended that arc too soon, or if there was more I could have done with it.

I create these shows and spend a lot more time with them than viewers do. You might watch an episode in half an hour, but I’m immersed in that world for years. So, what feels like a short time for an audience actually represents a huge amount of work for me – in this case, about six years’ worth. I loved working on it, but after finishing, I wondered if we’d rushed things. Still, I’m in the position I’m in. I decided against focusing the next season on [Spear’s] daughter; it felt too soon and a bit cliché, like forcing a storyline. It didn’t feel organic, and honestly, it was a little too predictable.

The idea came to me while rewatching the first season episode, “Plague of Madness.” It featured wild, zombie-like dinosaurs, and it struck me that this kind of over-the-top, pulp-inspired element already fit the show’s world. I quickly sketched out ideas for eight episodes – it all came together in about ten minutes, which is a good sign of a strong concept. I shared it with the team, including Derek and Scott, and they were enthusiastic. Then I pitched it to Adult Swim, and they were incredibly supportive, giving us the green light to move forward.

That’s really cool! After watching the trailer, the green logo started to make sense – could it be the same type of magic we’ve seen in the show all along?

Yeah, exactly, yeah.

I’m curious about the difficulties of starting the third season with an undead character. You’ve already proven you can convey emotion without dialogue, so how did you approach portraying the emotions of this undead being? Did you focus on making it seem aggressive, or did you take a different approach to guide the performance?

The great thing is, after 20 episodes, the audience really knows this character. When we first introduced him, nobody knew who he was – he was a complete mystery. You couldn’t form any opinions about him until after the tragedy of losing his children, which is when you started to understand his story. Because we’ve had 20 episodes to develop him, viewers are now invested in seeing him return to his former self. That creates a sense of urgency and makes them really want to root for him to become Spear again.

The story is really emotionally engaging because we’re not following just any zombie – it’s Spear, a character we know. It makes you wonder if, within the world of science fiction and classic adventure stories, a zombie could somehow become their old self again. The way the story unfolds is both deeply emotional and surprisingly mind-bending.

We’re telling the story in a new way, but it’s still the same universe and timeline, so it doesn’t feel like a fresh start. We considered doing something wild like ‘zombie cavemen,’ but decided against it. Instead, we’re simply continuing the existing story and revealing what happened next. The first episode will explain everything, and it’s compelling to watch because you already have an emotional investment in this particular character – he’s not just another zombie, he’s someone you know.

I have a lot of questions about what happened, but I understand we’ll find out more when the show is released. Is it possible he could go back to being the person he was before? In a world like this, anything could happen, and that’s what I’m gathering from what you’re saying.

It’s definitely possible. We’ve already explored fantastical elements like magic and time travel in stories, so why not this too? It could be interesting.

It was interesting that you decided not to pursue a storyline with Spear’s daughter. Fans really responded to the idea of exploring his family in the season finale. While this new season doesn’t seem to focus on that, is it possible we might see them again in the future?

I’m unsure about focusing the story on the daughter. I’m hesitant because she feels too young, and I want to maintain the mature tone of *Primal*. Her adventures just didn’t seem like the right direction. I might just need to brainstorm some better ideas.

After watching the ‘Zombie Spear’ episode, it’s difficult to imagine going back to earlier styles, and I completely get why. Fans really enjoyed the standalone Victorian-era episode in Season 2, which gave us a glimpse of the future. Are there plans for similar episodes in Season 3? Perhaps not a continuation of that specific story, but exploring other points in time within the ‘Primal’ universe?

I enjoyed that particular episode, even though it sparked some debate. We decided to try a similar one, but it ended up feeling forced and didn’t quite fit with the rest of the series. Unlike a previous episode, ‘The Primal Theory,’ which felt connected to everything else happening at the time, this one lacked that same resonance. We realized we had plenty of story to tell without relying on a contrived element – we didn’t *need* a gimmick just to have one each season. It was set in a distant future, like the 30th century, and dealt with themes of humanity, but we just couldn’t get the story right.

Expanding on Primal’s World in Season 3

I also really like how the world continues to grow. As you pointed out, previous seasons of Spear featured warriors from different areas all existing at the same time. Could we see something similar here, even with an undead version of Spear?

The core world of the story remains consistent throughout. Whether it’s undead creatures or living ones, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re in a fantastical, prehistoric setting where humans and dinosaurs coexist alongside other civilizations. From the very beginning, the show embraces a ‘pulp’ style – meaning it’s not aiming for historical accuracy. It’s a deliberately over-the-top world, and we haven’t left it – there’s been no time travel or dimensional shifting. Everything that happens takes place within this single, established world.

This development allows us to explore the more fantastical elements of the Primal universe, something you’ve skillfully done before. With a character now possessing supernatural abilities, can we expect to see even more of that supernatural side of the story?

I think this season feels more similar to the first one. It’s returning to that raw, primal feeling, whereas last season focused more on civilization and humanity. This season is delving into a more unsettling and darker territory.

Wow, this sneak peek is incredible! I’m really excited for the full season. Is there anything you’d like to share with fans as they start watching Primal Season 3?

Expect the unexpected. It’s a wild ride.

The third season of *Primal* is scheduled to premiere on Adult Swim in January 2026. You can stream the first two seasons right now on HBO Max. What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-10-10 02:13