PBS Renews Environmental Docuseries 'Hope In The Water' for Season 2
PBS has renewed its environmental docuseries Hope In The Water for a second season, with new episodes set to arrive in 2027, according to Deadline.
The series first launched on PBS in summer 2024 as a three-part documentary following people working on the front lines of feeding a planet of over 8 billion people while protecting freshwater systems and oceans. Production comes from Andrew Zimmern's Intuitive Content — the company behind Magnolia's Family Dinner and ZoëBakes — in association with the nonprofit Fed By Blue, which campaigns for responsible fishing. Funding was provided by Builders Vision and the Walton Family Foundation.
Behind the camera, Patrick Weiland serves as executive producer, Michele Wallin as showrunner — the writer-producer who oversees the creative direction of a series — and Patrick McMahill as director.
What gives the project its unusual pedigree is David E. Kelley's involvement. The prolific television writer behind Ally McBeal, Big Little Lies and The Practice serves as executive advisor on Hope In The Water, a role that marked his first move into documentary filmmaking. Kelley's interest is not purely professional: a few years ago he bought a fish farm that raises steelhead trout, giving him a hands-on connection to the aquaculture stories the series explores.
On screen, Shailene Woodley appeared in the first season and will return for season two. Joining her are celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern and Top Chef host Kristen Kish, who is new to the cast for the second run. Martha Stewart was also part of the first season when the project was initially announced in November 2023.
Kelley said the series sets out to tell "hopeful, solution-driven stories about the future of oceans and food," and that the team is excited to continue the journey with PBS. Woodley added that the project has been "about elevating people creating real solutions for oceans" and said she is honoured to keep building on the momentum.
For a public broadcaster that commissions far less original nonfiction than its streaming rivals, a renewal of this scale keeps a crew, a showrunner and a production company working through 2026 and into a 2027 premiere window. The decision also signals that PBS sees an audience for environmental storytelling that pairs celebrity presence with on-the-ground reporting.
