Netflix surprises fans with renewal of underrated drama despite decline in ratings

When your favorite Netflix show isn't renewed for another season within a month or two of the latest season's release, it's natural to become worried. We have seen this play out time and time again, with some of the best Netflix shows getting canceled after weeks or months of radio silence from the streaming service. Sometimes, though, we can be rewarded for our patience.

It's definitely happened in the past, where Netflix announces a surprise renewal months after a new season has dropped. For exampled, last month, that's what happened with A Man on the Inside, which scored a season 3 renewal months after season 2 arrived in November 2025. Well, if you were worried about the Spanish medical drama Breathless, lightning struck twice this time.

Breathless season 3 is happening at Netflix

On Feb. 17, 2026, Netflix surely left fans breathless with the surprise announcement that Breathless season 2 is officially renewed. The renewal news was shared on the Netflix España social media account and included a short teaser video that included voiceover from the characters as a heart monitor ultimately beeped and buzzed until a large "3" appeared on its screen.

The renewal comes almost four months after Breathless season 2 was released on Oct. 31, 2025. Naturally, the months without an update seemed to suggest that bad news could be on the horizon, even with rumors of a season 3 renewal swirling as far back as November 2025. While rumors can be comforting, they can also turn out to be untrue, just like the false reports of Olympo's renewal.

Even though Breathless has acquired a strong fandom since its initial premiere on Netflix in 2024, the series did mark a rather noticeable decline in viewership when season 2 was released last year. According to What's on Netflix, the first season charted for five weeks in Netflix's Global Top 10 and brought in 103.5 million viewing hours and 16.2 million completed views.

Comparatively, the second season dropped out of the global top 10 charts after the second week and saw a 57% decline in viewership. The season topped out at 30.3 million viewing hours and 4.4 million completed views, which didn't make the series a solid candidate for renewal. However, Netflix defied expectations based on the numbers and gave fans what they wanted.

Breathless season 3 joins the list of six Netflix shows that have renewed in 2026 so far, which includes Emily in Paris season 6, The Lincoln Lawyer season 5, and Finding Her Edge season 2. Netflix didn't offer further details on when to expect season 3 to release, but based on its previous annual drops, it's safe to predict we could see the series back by sometime in late fall 2026.