The Signal season 2 likely won't happen (because it's a limited series)

Based on an idea from writer Nadine Gottmann and co-director Sebastian Hilger, Netflix's suspenseful German series The Signal (aka Das Signal) has all the makings of a compelling sci-fi drama, including a missing plane, a mysterious riddle, and the threat of an alien invasion.

After months in orbit, Paula (Peri Baumeister) is preparing to board one final short flight to reunite with her husband Sven (Florian David Fitz) and their daughter. But Paula's plane never arrives. Sven desperately looks for any trace of his missing wife, with his search leading him to a trail of breadcrumbs and a strange riddle left behind by Paula. Following his wife's lead, Sven feels his life begin to collapse around him as he learns what Paula discovered during her time on the ISS.

Though the four-episode journey does eventually reveal what Paula learned in space, it also ends with another mystery that might lead viewers to wonder if The Signal season 2 is in development.

The Signal ends with a new mystery related to a NASA probe carrying a phonograph record

The Signal is probably not going to return for a second season because Netflix has billed the German show as a limited series. In the past, there have been cases where a limited series did return for additional seasons—like the recent rumors surrounding a potential continuation of Beef—but that seems to be uncommon with international fare, especially one like The Signal, which features a conclusive ending.

In this day and age, it's nearly impossible to accurately predict whether a series will return or not, but it's highly unlikely that we'll get additional episodes of The Signal. Viewers will have to sate their own curiosity with theories and discussion regarding the return of NASA's Voyager 1 to Earth. Did extraterrestrial life intercept the probe and send it back?

On the other hand,The Signal appears to be performing well on the streaming service. It entered the Top 10 within a few days of debuting and reached the No. 3 spot on the list, just beneath Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen and the investigative docuseries The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, even leapfrogging over Netflix's live-action Avatar the Last Airbender adaptation (which was already renewed for a second and third season).

So, who knows? Maybe if The Signal's viewership numbers are particularly impressive, the streamer will consider ordering a follow-up season or spinoff.