A popular sci-fi drama is getting a second life on streaming.

La Brea is officially coming to Netflix, bringing its time-bending mystery and survival storyline to a much wider audience after originally airing on NBC in 2021. 

What Is La Brea About?

The series begins with a massive sinkhole opening in Los Angeles, swallowing part of the city—including dozens of people, vehicles, and buildings. But what seems like a natural disaster quickly turns into something far stranger.

Those who fall in discover they’ve been transported to a mysterious prehistoric world, 10K BC,  where survival becomes the only goal. Meanwhile, the people left above ground search for answers—and for their loved ones—unraveling a deeper mystery about what caused the sinkhole in the first place. Is there a way for everyone to find their way back to each other?

Why It Built a Cult Following

When it first premiered on NBC, La Brea divided critics but quickly found a loyal fanbase. Viewers were drawn to it because of the family-driven storytelling, plenty of mysterious twists, and the prehistoric timeline. 

While not every storyline landed for critics, the show’s ambition and cliffhanger-heavy structure kept audiences coming back week after week, as they bonded with the cast and hoped to see them find a way out of the situation.

The series was canceled after three seasons, but not abruptly, offering up a conclusion to the mystery in the final episode that made the whole journey—whether you were a fan or frustrated by the developments—worth it. 

Netflix Gives It New Life

Now that it’s streaming on Netflix, La Brea is getting a fresh wave of attention. And it likely will benefit from the format, as the fast-paced mystery format is much easier to follow when you’re binge-watching. 

For new viewers, it’s a chance to jump into the story without waiting a week for new episodes, with a complete storyline from start to finish.

For returning fans, it’s an opportunity to revisit the series—or catch details they may have missed during its original run. Maybe you’ve missed being stuck in 10K BC!

What’s On Netflix reported that La Brea hit select Netflix international markets in 2024 as part of an early wave of licensing deals, which shows it snagged 167 million viewing hours in the last month of 2024 and throughout 2025, totaling 21.5 million views.

When Will La Brea be on Netflix?

La Brea hits Netflix on Friday, May 1, 2026.

La Brea Cast

• Natalie Zea as Eve Harris
• Eoin Macken as Gavin Harris
• Jack Martin as Josh Harris
• Zyra Gorecki as Izzy Harris
• Chiké Okonkwo as Ty Coleman
• Jon Seda as Dr. Sam Velez
• Rohan Mirchandaney as Scott Israni
• Lily Santiago as Veronica Castillo

Should You Watch La Brea?

If you’re looking for a new show and enjoy a high-concept sci-fi with survival stakes and ongoing mysteries, the answer is yes, La Brea is definitely your speed.

It’s not the best sci-fi series by any means, but it’s an easy binge and a fun world to get lost in, with a handful of enjoyable characters, built around constant reveals and escalating tension. 

There’s also time travel via the auroras, so if you’re someone who has enjoyed The Way Home, this might be your speed. Though the time travel isn’t nearly as well-executed on La Brea.

With all episodes now available on Netflix on May 1, 2026, give it a go and see how it fits!

You can read all our La Brea coverage right here! 

Everything that was once broken was made whole again on La Brea Season 3 Episode 6—the conclusion to a wild story that needed to be seen (and live through) to be believed. 

Falling through a sinkhole and landing in 10K B.C. doesn’t sound like something that will turn your life around for the better, but everyone (well, mostly everyone) came out better because of it. 

Despite many bleak moments, there was a thread of hope, with the series ending on a hopeful note, proving that no matter what life throws your way (an angry T-Rex, even), there’s always a way to overcome it and come out on the other side, stronger than ever. 

We saw that strength through many character developments throughout the show’s three seasons—though we can all safely agree that it was Lucas and Scott who had the biggest transformation after being forced to navigate the complexities of the prehistoric ages.

While I was rooting for everyone to make it, I was especially crossing my fingers for those two to have a happy ending; and when Lucas stayed behind to help Gavin and his family while Veronica went through the aurora to 2021, I was worried that he wasn’t going to make it.

Thankfully, through sheer luck, determination, and wit (who would ever consider incorporating a T-Rex into their plan?), along with a group of allies from the Village, they were able to defeat Maya Schmidt and her squad of soldiers. At times, it felt a little too easy—these people had machine guns, after all, but they were somehow defeated by gut punches and spears—but then you have to remember all that they’ve already been through; they’ve earned this “easy escape.” It’s a shame that these auroras weren’t around and accessible earlier so that everyone could just walk right through back to their timeline and call it a day, but there’d still be the little issue of Maya Schmidt’s dangerous technology.

After the aurora—their only hope of getting back to 2021—blew up, things once again seemed rather grim, until it dawned on Gavin that this is the moment he’s been waiting for! Not only was he a trained pilot who spearheaded the flight project, but he was in possession of the microchip (that I’m hoping they destroyed after) that could turn said jet into a time machine. Who needs an aurora when you have the holy grail?

Once it was established that they all had a way home, the only obstacle left on their path was a dinosaur, who didn’t stand a chance against that torque. Though, I will say I’ll never have to wonder if a T-Rex would win in a fight against machine guns… but I was surprised they didn’t even injure him. 

Throughout the episode, Gavin, Izzy and Helena jumped from 10K B.C. to 1965 (where they found Josh) back to the prehistoric era, without ever finding Eve. Helena claimed that she was in agreement that destroying the servers at the Pasadena research farm was necessary to end it all, but the only thing we had to go on was her word. Thankfully, her word was golden, and mere hours later back in their present timeline, the whole Harris family reunited under a tree that was significant to Gavin and Eve. Given what they’ve all just been through, I was expecting Eve to be a little more disheveled, but I guess everyone looking fresh and clean despite their adventures has always been the show’s running joke. 

The Harris family wasn’t the only one that started broken but found their way back to each other, as 10K B.C. made it very clear to everyone that family is worth fighting for and they never knew what they had until it was gone. 

Sam trekked to 1965 to find Riley, who was receiving treatment in a hospital, though not the right treatment as MRIs and procedures that she needed for a collapsed lung simply weren’t discovered or made common practice yet. The good news is that Sam was a doctor with the necessary skills to get her treated, before somehow (I wish we’d seen this) sneaking her out of the hospital and getting her through a portal to 2021 so she could get the necessary antibiotics. Riley pulled through—and like Eve, looked flawless after her brush with death—and reunited with Josh in 2021, as they professed their love to each other and called back on the first time they laid eyes on one another before they fell through the sinkhole. They’ve come a long way with a solid foundation that has survived several time periods. In the end, they always found a way back to each other.

Riley and Sam also reunited with her brother and mother, with Sam making good on his promise to do right by his family with this second chance.

Lucas also pulled through and made it back just in time to see an ultrasound of his “strong” baby with Veronica. There was so much joy in this moment since it was a moment that neither of them ever thought they’d live to see. Veronica finally opened up about her fears of having a baby in the prehistoric ages, and those fears were warranted as mere moments later, they were outrunning a T-Rex. But it’s one heck of a story to tell a child conceived in 10K B.C. 

And Scott was right, what happens in 10K B.C. doesn’t stay there as they were all now connected and bonded by shared trauma and an experience of a lifetime that no one else would ever truly understand. Scott, however, wasn’t one of the lucky ones who met a significant other after falling through the sinkhole, though he used that time to work on himself and become the man that he knew Emily, the one that got away, always knew he could be. 

Upon returning to 2021, he sought out his ex and promised that he was now a man worthy of her love—and his confidence earned him the girl. 

The only thing I’m bummed about is that we didn’t get to see Scott, Veronica, and Lucas’ brunch date (though I’m hoping that’s a standing weekend appointment), nor did we get any closure on Petra. Scott mentioned that he was taking her to her grandparents since her mother was killed, but it would be nice to see if Scott checked in on her every now and then since they formed a sweet bond together. I hope this isn’t Petra’s villain origin story and she doesn’t follow in her mother’s footsteps trying to recreate the whole situation—though that would be a good excuse for a sequel! (I know, I know, it just ended!) 

Ty said goodbye to his longtime friends (and I’m bummed that the triumphant trio of Ty, Gavin and Sam has been broken up), but he was never focused on getting back to 2021; he found purpose for himself in 10K B.C with the love of his life. I am surprised that none of these people decided to jump into 2021 given the chance; I can’t imagine living with the fear of getting attacked by dinosaurs is something you get used to. However, I do love that he stayed true to himself and prioritized his happiness. The risk was all worth it to him as he came down here a many without a future and stayed a man with a very promising one. 

LA BREA — “The Road Home Part 2” Episode 306 — Pictured: (l-r) Rohan Mirchandaney as Scott, Chiké Okonkwo as Ty — (Photo by: NBC)

The person I expected to jump to 2021 was Leila since she talked so much about getting out of her village and seeing what else is out there. I assumed that her love for Izzy would bring her back to the modern world, but that never happened, and we never got proper closure between them aside from Leila saving Izzy’s life. It was a sweet gesture and a moment that showed just how far both of them have come on their journeys of being warriors—though I wish their romance didn’t just fizzle out due to circumstances. 

And finally, my biggest complaint is that it wasn’t exactly clear how much time had passed since they fell into the sinkhole once everyone was back in Los Angeles. Was it a few days? A few months? Would their homes just simply be waiting for them? How did they all just jump back into their everyday lives without as much as a hiccup? Considering Scott knew where to find Emily and she hadn’t moved on, I don’t think that much time passed, but it would’ve been nice to get a clear timeline. 

Mostly everyone got their happy ending—and as far as final episodes go that stare down the hard task of wrapping up a very complex situation, it provided a fitting conclusion to a bonkers series that relied heavily on dedicated and patient audiences suspending disbelief.

I think we can all say that we appreciate the developments of the modern world so much more after watching the series…and we definitely don’t need a time machine to the prehistoric ages anytime soon.

There’s a lot to digest on La Brea’s penultimate episode (Season 3 Episode 5), but there’s never been more of an incentive to take down and destroy Maya Schmidt and everything that she’s built. 

Everyone learned the hard way that Maya was a dangerous woman at the head of this whole operation running outside of Ladera Air Base, which is stationed throughout many moments in time, including 10K B.C. and 1965. 

Her main objective is to equip fighter jets with the time-traveling device, though she’s missing one key ingredient to making it all happen—a fossilized plant that Scott wrote about in an essay—hence why she scouted him to get intel and likely why they are all in the prehistoric ages, to begin with. But what makes it super terrifying is the fact that she plans to sell her invention to the highest bidder, without taking into account all the damage that it might cause to the world and ignoring all the very real destruction already happening with the sinkholes.

And thus, the mission isn’t about just saving Eve—though it’s a huge piece of the puzzle for Gavin as he’s determined to reunite his family and make good on the promises he broke to his sister Helena (which, quite honestly, that storyline just doesn’t track and I could’ve done without her inclusion in the storyline)—it’s about saving the world from an evil, ruthless villain. 

At the end of the episode, they try to find the detention center where Eve’s being held, only to stumble upon an aurora instead. The red one, as we’ve learned, leads to 1965, so they all decide to walk through it and get the girl, find Josh and Riley (finally), and light things on fire.

It’ll be interesting to see them all play in a more current timeline as we’ve pretty much gotten used to them operating in the prehistoric era, but it does beg the question—will they ever return to 1965? How will they save all their other friends from the Clearing?

Of course, going between time periods isn’t as difficult as one assumed previously, thanks to the convenient auroras, but plenty of people have left behind those they love in 10K B.C., including Izzy, who was developing a real connection to Leila (before she found out that Leila was working for Maya as a spy in hopes of getting a shot at a new life in the present day. Hopefully, they’ll be able to bounce back from that), and Ty, who returned back to the past in hopes of finding Paraa, only to realize she never made it back home from her trip with James. Will he ever see her again?

One of the most heartbreaking moments of the episode, though inevitable considering the dangers posed by this time period, was Levi’s death. However, it was a valiant one as he went out going above and beyond to save his friends, including Gavin, who he has been trying to find peace with ever since he destroyed the trust built between them by sleeping with Eve. 

After Scott was taken into custody by the military, he realized Levi was a traitor, but then we found out he was actually just infiltrating because he wanted to find Eve and help everyone out of this mess (does this mean Levi knew the whole time that Gavin was communicating with Maya and didn’t say anything? It’s just not adding up.). Levi’s story, admittedly, got a little jumbled with his time jump and his desire to get revenge for his late wife and daughter, which I don’t think ever happened… unless they were killed by Maya’s Rye group. 

Still, Levi was a constant from day one, so his loss was deeply felt, and when you say Izzy broke down, you couldn’t help but shed a tear alongside her. There are always casualties of war—and he took one for the team so that they could make some real progress. 

As we move into the season finale, the hope is that everything falls into place in a way that provides a fitting conclusion to this wildly twisted, chaotic, and oftentimes, unorganized and hard-to-follow, adventure. I’ve enjoyed La Brea at face value, but I do think that they tried to do too much with too little time, and some storylines, like Gavin’s sisters’ inclusion, simply didn’t resonate the way they hoped.

The finale needs to do a few things—like reunite the Harris family, along with Riley and her dad, and give closure to Ty and Paraa, one of the fandom’s favorite couples. It would also be nice to see James and Silas again considering they were such a key part of the storyline in the first few seasons. 

Will Veronica and Lucas choose to go back to the present or will they hang back in 10K B.C. having found that they enjoy their life there more? Neither of them really has anything to go back to in the present, aside from luxuries like fast food, technology, and modern healthcare (comes in handy for a baby), and no dinosaurs, oversized crocs, or the like. 

And finally, I hope La Brea doesn’t take a page from Manifest’s playbook and undo all the progress that they made. It worked for Manifest, but it would be detrimental to La Brea considering how much all of these characters have grown—for the better—during their escapades in 10K B.C. They’ve gained a new perspective and outlook on life that has forged a better path for them and their families, and even if they do make it back to the present, I hope that they keep those experiences with them and close to heart. 

What did you think of the episode?