Star Trek: Picard is officially charting its course for seasons two and three.
Ahead of its Jan. 23 series debut, CBS All Access announced Sunday during its time at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour that it has officially renewed the Patrick Stewart-led drama for season two. Sources say the show has also received early orders to begin work on season three, which will likely be filmed back to back with the sophomore season, with the production hiatus not very brief between cycles.
CBS All Access and CBS TV Studios declined comment on the status of season three of Picard. The streamer only confirmed the season two renewal during its time at TCA.
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Additionally, 12 Monkeys alum Terry Matalas has boarded Picard as an executive producer and has also signed an overall deal with CBS TV Studios. Sources note that the studio pulled him off of its MacGyver reboot at CBS to join Picard, which is a high priority for the studio. Matalas, sources say, will take over as showrunner in season two and help fill the void created by Michael Chabon’s planned departure. A release announcing the renewal referred to Matalas only as exec producer, though sources say he is the likely eventual showrunner.
Chabon will remain showrunner on Picard before passing the baton to Matalas, who has also been working on the highly anticipated show for some time. Helping to ease the transition is the fact that Star Trek franchise captain Alex Kurtzman also exec produces Kavalier and Clay alongside fellow Picard exec producer Akiva Goldsman.
It’s worth noting that Picard was informally renewed for a second season in December when the series earned a $20.45 million tax credit from the California Film Commission. It was one of 16 projects to receive credits for basing its production in the state. (Season one also received tax credits.)
Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera and Harry Treadaway round out the Picard cast. Along with Chabon and Goldsman, executive producers are Star Trek franchise captain Kurtzman, Stewart, James Duff, Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout president Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth. Star Trek: Discovery veteran Hanelle Culpepper directed the first two episodes.
Picard is one of multiple Star Trek shows that serve as the franchise cornerstone of CBS All Access. The subscription platform also has Star Trek: Discovery and the animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks and is at work on a Michelle Yeoh-led spinoff of the former. Originals also include The Good Wife spinoff The Good Fight, Interrogation, the Kurtzman-produced The Man Who Fell to Earth, the Stephen King adaptation The Strand, the anthology The Twilight Zone and Why Women Kill. The anthology Tell Me a Story and the comedy No Activity are awaiting word on their futures.
