When will we see the last of Avatar: The Last Airbender? At this rate, the franchise could survive as long as the 112-year-old Aang, given that the original Nickelodeon animation has proven to be one of those iconic stories that just gets told and retold again and again. So far, it’s spawned sequel series The Legend of Korra, the 2010 movie (oh, sorry to remind you that exists), and most recently, Netflix’s live-action adaptation. Fans have been looking forward to this one for years, so it’s probably fair to say it’s one of the biggest Netflix original shows ever.
In contrast to the M. Night Shyamalan film, which appeared to be made by people with only a cursory understanding of the show, the Netflix version is characterized by its extreme faithfulness to its source material. As EP/director Michael Goi has put it, “we didn’t make something that sort of alluded to it but only took the title… We made Avatar: The Last Airbender!” In other words, those making the series fully intended season 1 to be a launchpad for an expansive live-action translation of the animated universe. But is it going to get the chance?
Is Netflix making Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2?
Good news, Gaang lovers, Netflix is officially moving forward with a second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. More than that, the streamer has gone ahead and confirmed a third season at the same time. It’s extremely rare for the streamer, which is famed for being extremely cautious with renewals — and overzealous with cancellations — to hand out two seasons at once, so that just goes to show how much faith Netflix has in this show.
In addition, it’s been announced that season 3 will serve as the final run of the live-action Last Airbender. This will make the Netflix show a pleasing mirror to the original animation, which likewise ran for three seasons. Given the speed of this announcement, coming less than two weeks after its premiere, clearly the streamer was fully expecting this one to be a smash all along and had already put plans for a three-season arc in motion.
The showmakers are certainly raring to go with more storylines. Although season 1 already weaves in elements from the animation’s second run, there’s still plenty else to be added into the mix — and EP Jabbar Raisani has already singled out one character they are desperate to introduce. “Toph would be my number one,” they teased. “I can’t wait to find who that person is that’s going to embody that character, because she’s so awesome.”
This speedy renewal even outdoes the already snappy season 2 news that One Piece got after 15 days in 2023. The fact Avatar earned 41.1 million hours viewed on debut (as per The Hollywood Reporter) is no doubt the reason for this one-of-a-kind announcement. Like Sozin’s Comet, more seasons of ATLA are coming to make streaming’s very own answer to the Fire Nation even more powerful.