Netflix has revived the iconic stealth-action saga with Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, which premiered on October 14, 2025. The animated espionage thriller features Liev Schreiber as Sam Fisher. Creator Derek Kolstad has hinted that the series’ future could depend on what happens after its debut.
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch Season 2 could happen if Season 1 ‘works’
Series creator Derek Kolstad, known for John Wick, confirmed in an interview with Animation Scoop that a second season depends on the success of the first.
Kolstad said the creative team approached Deathwatch as a self-contained story but left room for expansion. “If there was one Die Hard, you’d be happy, right? It’s fully encapsulated, but because of the strength of the character, you got more… The movie has a beginning and an ending. If there’s only one, I’d be just as proud of it.” He said the first season aims to resonate with longtime Splinter Cell fans. It also seeks to draw in viewers who are new to the franchise.
“So I think here… we’re looking at this world going, ‘Let’s make sure it works as a series that no one has ever heard of the IP. Let’s make sure that if someone stumbles across this and doesn’t even like anime or cartoons, it’s like, Ooh,’” Kolstad said.
He added that character-driven storytelling remains central. “You wanna see Sam and McKenna survive. You wanna see Thunder come into his own and to see this team that had been splintered come back together.”
Kolstad also shared that he’s already thinking ahead about potential directions. “At the end of the season here, I hope we earned our way into more. Have another season with these guys… There’s any number of places we could go, but you gotta make sure the first one works.”
Whether Netflix renews Deathwatch will likely depend on viewership performance and audience engagement following its premiere.
