Netflix’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch Just Scored a Season 2 Update
Netflix has reactivated Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell with the animated thriller Deathwatch, which premiered October 14, 2025, led by Liev Schreiber as Sam Fisher. Creator Derek Kolstad teases Season 2 is already in the crosshairs, hinging on what happens after the debut.
Netflix just brought Splinter Cell back from the shadows, this time as an animated series. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Deathwatch premiered October 14, 2025, and yes, that is Liev Schreiber voicing Sam Fisher. Good casting, honestly.
So, is Season 2 happening?
Short answer: maybe. Creator Derek Kolstad (the John Wick guy) told Animation Scoop the show's future depends on how Season 1 performs. He and the team built Deathwatch to stand on its own but left the door open if Netflix wants more. He even compared the approach to a classic one-and-done that happened to spawn a franchise.
"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."
Kolstad said the goal was twofold: make longtime Splinter Cell fans feel seen and make newcomers (even people who roll their eyes at animation) lean in. The storytelling leans character-first, with arcs built around Sam Fisher, a character named McKenna, and another named Thunder, as a splintered team tries to pull itself back together. He is already noodling on where a follow-up could go, but he is very clear about the order of operations: first this season has to work, then we talk about more.
- Title: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
- Format: Animated espionage thriller
- Where/When: Netflix, premiered October 14, 2025
- Lead voice: Liev Schreiber as Sam Fisher
- Creator: Derek Kolstad (John Wick)
- Season 2 status: Not renewed yet; depends on viewership and engagement
- Creative approach: Season 1 is self-contained but designed to expand if it connects
- Audience target: Both diehard fans and people brand-new to the IP (including folks who usually skip animation)
- Character focus: Sam, McKenna, and Thunder, with a 'team breaks apart and rebuilds' arc
Translation: if people watch it and talk about it, Netflix will probably make more. Kolstad shared all this in an Animation Scoop interview; the renewal chatter first popped up via Anubhav Chaudhry at SuperHeroHype.