
Picture: Rai
On January 19th, 2026, Netflix picked up the rights to the highly ambitious series Sandokan, an adaptation of the famous novels of Emilio Salgari in over two dozen countries, including the UK and the US. Featuring a cast from around the globe, the series aired in December, and thankfully, we know it will be returning for a second season.Â
Headlined by Can Yaman, who co-stars alongside some top British talent like Alanah Bloor, Ed Westwick, and John Hannah, the series follows a pirate ship captain and his crew fighting to protect the Dayak from the clutches of the British Empire in South East Asia in the 19th century.
Netflix doesnât have global rights to the show; Disney+ carries it in some regions, such as Italy, alongside RaiPlay. It is also available on Starz in select territories and Voyo in others.
The show has gotten off to a solid start in the Netflix top 10s in the countries it launched in, including getting as high as number 7 in the daily TV top 10s in the US so far, and 6 in the US. In all, according to FlixPatrol, the show has featured in the daily top 10s in two dozen countries with top performers including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay.
Yes! Following reports that the series was eyeing a renewal over the summer of 2025, official confirmation came in December 2025 that it would return.
La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, confirmed the renewal with one of the seriesâ directors, Jan Maria Michelini, who spoke about the seriesâ success, mostly citing its international sales and incredible viewership on Rai.
Michelini told the news outlet (translated to English), âThe publicity was enormous, and the success Sandokan had in foreign markets in terms of sales, even before its release in Italy, was significant. It comforted us, but we didnât expect such a high figure. We were hoping for it, and weâre very happy, especially because we were dealing with a âsacred monsterâ.â
Michelini then confirms season 2 is on the way, âWeâre already thinking about it, weâll start shooting between spring and summer [2026].â He also teased that Kabir Bedi, the original actor in the 1970s movie, was a fan and that they had hoped he would do a cameo, but schedules have yet to align. y
Will Sandokan season 2 be available on Netflix?
Hereâs where things get tricky. While we know the show will return, its licensing rights arenât yet clear.
What we do know is that Netflix picked up season 1 for a two-year period (meaning itâll stay streaming at least through early 2028), but thereâs no official word on whether season 2 will come to Netflix. As weâve observed over the years with pickups like Sandokan, thereâs no guarantee that future seasons will stream.


