Y’lan Noel and Matthew Law will return for a second season of ‘Nemesis’ on Netflix.
Photo by Saeed Adyani/Netflix
Netflix announced that its recent hit Nemesis will return for a second season. While the renewal is a win for the streamer’s breakout crime drama, it could also be a major victory for Los Angeles if production stays in the City of Angels, providing a meaningful boost to the city’s struggling production industry.
The series, which shot its first season exclusively across the city, brought hundreds of production jobs and millions of dollars in economic activity to a region that has seen a sharp decline in film and television projects in recent years.
As more productions leave Hollywood for tax incentives elsewhere, co-creators Courtney A. Kemp and Tani Marole’s commitment to filming the first season in Los Angeles carried added significance, especially as communities continue rebuilding after the Altadena and Palisades fires.
More importantly, Kemp, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer, has made it clear since the show’s debut that Nemesis is intended to be the foundation of something much bigger: a sprawling “television universe” rooted in L.A.
Just before the show’s May 14 premiere, the Power creator said she and Marole knew they wanted to film Nemesis in L.A. “There was no other option,” Kemp said, adding, “The story was always set here, though there was some conversation at one point about shooting it in a different state. Tani and I were both like, ‘Absolutely not. It needs to be here.’ L.A. is a character in the show.”
She joined her fiancé, Marole, who also serves as executive producer, for a season-one interview to discuss their long-term commitment to telling interconnected stories in L.A. and how she fought to keep a story about this city filmed here. The goal, she said, was to establish the city not just as a backdrop, but as the creative center of Netflix’s next major franchise.
The eight-episode first season told the story of Detective Isaiah Stiles (Matthew Law), who is obsessed with capturing heist mastermind Coltrane Wilder (Y’lan Noel) to the point that it nearly destroys his career and life.
Though the streamer hasn’t shared any creative details about season two yet, including where it will be filmed, the show is rooted in Los Angeles, raising hopes that at least part of the new season will be shot there.
Though plans can change, Kemp previously indicated that a second season of Nemesis would stay rooted in L.A. When asked about the show’s future, she said, “I would love to have a TV universe here in Los Angeles, just like how we kept people working in New York on Power.”
As Kemp explained in that initial interview, keeping production in Los Angeles for season one was both personal and creative. “The men in this world need to come from a city where there are legacy black areas. And we really wanted to write and show those places.”
She added, “We also want Los Angeles to thrive. And there’s such a high level of talent here. Taking production out of L.A. only makes things harder. We really hope that we get to do more seasons of Nemesis and we get to make more shows here.”
Governor Gavin Newsom’s April and March 2026 film and TV Tax credit awards are expected to generate nearly $800 million in economic activity across 38 projects. They followed a major July 2025 expansion that more than doubled California’s annual film and television tax credit program from $330 million to $750 million while extending eligibility to animated and competition series.
Netflix already films several multi-season series locally, including Nobody Wants This, the final seasons of The Lincoln Lawyer and The Night Agent, and the upcoming comedy A Hundred Percent, which was recently confirmed to be filming in Los Angeles.
Kemp and Marole hoped Nemesis would join that list. Beyond continuing the story after the season-one finale, they see filmmaking as an investment in the city itself.
Of the renewal, Kemp said in a statement, “I feel blessed to get a season two. We thank the fans…it’s because of them… there’s no other reason. It’s them showing up, them talking about it, and their huge social media response. We are grateful to Netflix for recognizing the power of our audience and bringing us back for the fans.”
Marole added, “Season two, we’re very grateful to have it. Make no mistake, season two is going to be bigger and better.”
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