The Unanswered Questions of Treadstone: Why Season 2 Never Happened

The Rise and Fall of Treadstone

Treadstone season 2 never happened, leaving the Jason Bourne television spinoff at just one season. There are a couple of main reasons why Treadstone season 2 was canceled, which chiefly stem from the show's ratings, and the channel's overall shift towards a different kind of programming. The show attempted to pour the international espionage-based thrills of the Bourne franchise into an episodic series. Despite a lacking the popularity of the movies, the Bourne TV show did gain a small but loyal following, and many are rightly wondering why Treadstone season 2 never happened.

Brian J. Smith fights in a bar in Treadstone

Based on the Jason Bourne films (which in turn are based on the books by Robert Ludlum), Treadstone season 1 is set in two different time periods. A 1973 storyline follows John Randolph Bentley (Jeremy Irvine), a CIA Operative captured by the KGB and put through a brainwashing program, forcing him to carry out assassinations and other missions for the Soviets. In the present-day storyline, a group of operatives who were turned into sleeper agents by the CIA's own behavior modification program, Treadstone, begin to awaken. The show left plenty of open questions Treadstone season 2 never got to answer.

Jeremy Irvine on a hospital bed being treated by a doctor in Treadstone

The Factors Behind the Cancellation

The Treadstone season 2 cancelation was reported alongside the USA Network's cancelation of the horror spinoff series The Purge. These announcements form part of a move away from scripted programming and towards live and unscripted programming, such as WWE Raw. Regarding scripted content, USA stated it will be focusing on event series rather than long-running shows in line with its viewership data.

A man on the phone in a hotel lobby in Treadstone

Treadstone's premiere episode attracted 645,000 live viewers and had pulled in a total of 1.84 million through delayed viewing by the following week. However, ratings had declined to just 371,000 live viewers by the season finale, and Treadstone attracted mixed reviews, both of which were key factors in USA's decision to cancel Treadstone season 2.

Petra looking sad in Treadstone

The Legacy of Treadstone and the Bourne Franchise

Treadstone season 2 would likely have continued the 1970s storyline and shown the origins of Treadstone, which was modeled after the notorious KGB program Cicada. Meanwhile, in present-day, awakened cicada Agent SoYun (Han Hyo-joo) discovers that her family allowed her son to be sent off to the same facility where she was once turned into an asset. It also seemed that Ellen Becker (Michelle Forbes) was set to take over Treadstone and its assets in Treadstone season 2. Much of Treadstone's season 1 finale was spent setting things up for Treadstone season 2 rather than wrapping up plot threads, so the cancellation of Treadstone season 2 became even more disappointing.

Matt Damon as Jason Bourne standing in street in The Bourne Identity

Hindsight makes the fact Treadstone season 2 isn't happening even more jarring, as there were initially bold ambitions for the future of the Bourne franchise and Treadstone's place in it. Just a couple of weeks into Treadstone season 1, producer Ben Smith, who worked on the show and the Bourne movies, commented on the plans for a movie that would properly tie the two worlds together. In 2019, this very well could have been a promising project. However, given the failure of the series and why Treadstone season 2 was canceled, it's no surprise the movie has likely been shelved.

Matt Damon looking through a rifle scope in The Bourne Supremacy