Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal Season 2 Trailer: Spear And Fang Hit The Open Water

Season 2 of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Primal" is galloping your way on the back of a Tyrannosaurus rex. The Emmy Award-winning animated series will return next month, and now a trailer for it is here, ready to bash in your eyes like a wooly mammoth.

"Primal" follows the adventures of Spear and Fang, a cave man and T. rex who are thrown together after they both experience tragedy in a violent prehistoric fantasy world. The show aired the first five episodes of its first season over the course of one week back in October of 2019. It would be another full year before the second half of the first season aired in October of 2020. Just shy of two years later, "Primal" is returning to Adult Swim and HBO Max with new episodes, and you can get a taste of what's in store via the trailer below.

Primal season 1 was epic

The trailer begins with blurbs for "Primal" season 1, and then we see some glimpses of season 2 action. Since the cuts are quick and "Primal" is (with the exception of some Neanderthal grunts by lead voice actor Aaron LaPlante) mostly dialogue-free, it's not always easy to parse what is going on in this trailer. We see Spear fighting other cave men and taking some arrows in the back while Fang gets slashed by claws. There are images of them at sea — shots of them on a raft, on a boat, and evading a Megalodon underwater — and we also see a couple of thrones, one of which is occupied by a huge fire demon.

It looks like civilization is creeping in more and season 2 will pick up right where "Slave of the Scorpion," the finale of "Primal" season 1, left off, with Spear and Fang's new ally, Mira (Laetitia Eido-Mollon) being carried off on a boat.

"Primal" season 1 was an epic, animated affair. Following other groundbreaking TV series to grace the Adult Swim late-night block, "Primal" makes best use of its medium while pushing the envelope further. This daring, creative approach paid off: "Primal" has a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics in agreement about the show's compelling content. Sure, there are a few audience outliers who disagree — but the vast majority appears to appreciate the raw, instinctual energy on display with this series. 

Based on the trailer, it looks like fans can expect more of the same excellently animated, exciting content out of season 2. 

Tartakovsky's animation pedigree

"Primal" won three Emmy Awards for its first half-season and another two for its second half-season, and it has received no shortage of critical acclaim. Tartakovsky had quite the animation pedigree before this, having created "Dexter's Laboratory" and "Samurai Jack" and developed "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" for television, among other things. Film-wise, he's known for helming the first three entries in the "Hotel Transylvania" series, which just wrapped up this year with a fourth and final installment (not directed by Tartakovsky), "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania."

"Primal" season 2 is set to premiere on Adult Swim at midnight on Thursday, July 21, 2022. Episodes will stream the next day on HBO Max.