After 4 years, Primal picks up where it left off without losing any of its grim violence or emotional core

Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, the dark and violent animated series that has thus far followed the Neanderthal Spear and dinosaur Fang across two seasons of adventures, is finally back for a third season on Adult Swim after nearly four years. And while I don't necessarily think it's better than ever, having seen the entire new season for myself, I would argue that it's certainly as good as it's ever been – which is very, very good.

Given Tartakovsky's history, it's not exactly shocking that the show is as good as it is. He's had a storied career and is best known for different things to different people, depending on how old you are. He's the creator of legendary Cartoon Network shows Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack, helmed the original Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series, and directed several of the Hotel Transylvania movies. And, of course, Primal.

But it is somewhat surprising to see the show return in the way that it has. The last season of Primal ended with a pretty definitive conclusion for the story of both Spear and Fang back in 2022, and yet the third season once again picks up where – spoiler alert – the last one left off with Spear's death. So, of course, Primal season 3 follows zombie Spear in all his reanimated glory. (This is not a surprise; the trailers and key art have made it pretty clear this was the case in the run-up to the third season.)

Tip of the Spear

Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal Season 3 | OFFICIAL TRAILER | January 11 | adult swim - YouTube

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Given how season 3 ended, seeing the initial trailers featuring a reanimated Spear was a shock. And to some extent, it seems like Tartakovsky is also surprised a bit too when I speak with him ahead of the animated show's return.

"I think it's kind of my fault," he says when I ask why return to these characters again, given how much it felt like the last season put a bow on that story, "because we spend a lot of time making the shows, like two years. So we spend a lot of time with the characters, right? And then when we release the show, the audience watches it maybe in a week or in a few weeks – the timespan is very off balance."

"And so I felt like, 'OK, people have had enough,' because I've lived with it for, you know, over four years," he continues. "But in actuality, it wasn't, and the response to the end of the season was really good, and everybody still loves the show, so my gut told me,'Uh oh, maybe it's too early.' And then I'm like, 'Well, what am I going to do next?'"

And that's where zombie Spear came in as an idea.

"It was so compelling, and it facilitated such an interesting emotional element that that was it," Tartakovsky says of the concept. "As soon as we came up with it, my gut said, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah; this is so exciting and interesting.' And we can do different stories, because sometimes you don't want to just repeat the 'Monster of the Week' type of a feel, right? And that's why we switched up for the second season and, of course, the third season."

One significant reason that zombie Spear is such a big surprise? Tartakovsky himself had said, following the conclusion of the second season, that he envisioned the show becoming more of an anthology of sorts. While the first two seasons were about Spear and Fang, Primal as a show didn't actually need to be just that in the future. And yet here we are.

But that doesn't mean the idea of an anthology series has been abandoned or anything. Or that the story of Spear is even completely done after this season, for that matter. Tartakovsky is keeping his options open. "When we feel that Spear and Fang and that storyline has finally, like, finished, finished, and it feels right, then I do," he says. "I want Primal to be everlasting for me."

"I hope that it's going to be like a Twilight Zone tag, basically, for something that's raw and emotional and visceral, 2D animated, and the whole thing with visual storytelling, and that's the goal," he adds. "So, if there's something next, I'm not sure yet. I mean, it feels like we have an ending, but I don't want to put myself in the corner like I did last time."

Primal season 3 is now airing on Adult Swim. New episodes air on Sundays and appear on HBO Max the following day. For more animation coverage, be sure to check out the best anime to watch right now.