Why won't there be a Carnival Row season 3? Orlando Bloom explains early ending
The Prime Video series was first envisioned to go beyond season 2.
The final episodes of Carnival Row arrive on Prime Video this week, bringing the saga to an emotional close as the fate of Rycroft Philostrate (Orlando Bloom) and his former lover Vignette (Cara Delevingne) is revealed.
Fans had to wait a long time for this concluding chapter – three-and-a-half years, to be precise – which represents an apparent change to the original plan for the costly fantasy drama.
Following the release of season 1, original bosses Travis Beacham and Marc Guggenheim were vocal about their plan for at least four seasons of Carnival Row (via Collider), but alas, that vision has been scrapped for now.
Orlando Bloom told RadioTimes.com that the COVID-19 pandemic was a major factor in wrapping things up early, but wouldn't comment on behind-the-scenes upheaval that saw Erik Oleson instated as replacement showrunner.
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He explained that "there were a lot of changes at the top of the food chain" during production, but described that process as "above my pay grade".
On the pandemic's effect, Bloom continued: "We were finishing what we thought was season 2 when the world went on pause, and we all went into hibernation.
"But whilst that was a really challenging time… everyone could work from home and look at the footage that we had, and really address what was there and what we could do more of – or improve upon."
"So in the time that we were shut down... they actually got a pretty interesting shape of what the show was."
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Bloom continued: "I think COVID really put the brakes on everything. It was jarring and so the thinking was, there was a lot of love for the show in season 1 – and certainly Amazon was super supportive – but really, we had so much footage that we were able to take this world and bring it to a conclusion in a really great way.
"And I love the idea of leaving people wanting more, rather than trying to wring the marrow out of everything."
The actor, known for past roles in the Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises, made clear that he was very happy with the ending settled on by incoming showrunner Oleson, who inherited a lot of complex storylines to wrap up.
"[He] really executed the show in a way that I'm really proud of," added Bloom. "And I think that it'll stand the test of time. It's something that I'm really glad I got to do, and I'm sad to see it gone."
Carnival Row is available to stream on Prime Video. Season 2 premieres Friday 17th February 2023. Sign up for a 30-day free trial of Prime Video and pay £8.99 a month after that.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
