Cr. Anna Kooris/Netflix © 2024
Pulse, Netflix’s first US medical drama, has gotten off to a strong start. Netflix has not officially renewed the series, so what do the viewing numbers say about the show’s future? While it’s thought a second season was put into early development, we’re still awaiting an official renewal. So let’s dive into everything that could happen and all the viewing charts. Here’s everything we know so far about Pulse Season 2.
Zoe Robyn is the co-showrunner of the series alongside executive producer Carlton Cuse. The series is Netflix’s first medical drama from the US, although not their first ever, with international titles like Hospital Playlist and Breathless sitting in the same genre. The series, consisting of 10 episodes, is centered around the lives and careers of the trauma unit at the Maguire Hospital in Miami. Robyn, Cuse, Bradley Gardner, Emma Forman, Michael Kick, and Kate Dennis are executive producers.
Has Netflix renewed Pulse for a second season?
Our Renewal Prediction
50/50
Netflix has yet to announce a renewal for the second season of PULSE as of May 13th.
Now a month in, we’re split 50/50 on whether the series will get a renewal. Although we wouldn’t classify it as a slam dunk by any stretch, it still pulled in a modest performance in the top 10s, albeit its HBO counterpart, The Pitt, slightly overshadowed it. There are a couple of major renewal opportunities, such as the Netflix Upfronts, where it typically announces renewals, but our renewal prediction is currently 50/50 because of its decent but not spectacular performance in the top 10s.
One early positive indication is that the WGA lists season 2 of PULSE in its database. We need to be crystal clear about what this means before you make any wrong conclusions. When titles are listed in here for new seasons without official renewal, it just means that Netflix has quietly allowed early development to take place on new episodes, but ultimately, will make a decision on whether to move ahead with said episodes. The exact same thing can be said for Sweet Magnolias and One Piece, which are listed in the WGA for new seasons but haven’t yet been officially announced to be renewed or otherwise. The idea behind this early development is so that the team can hit the ground running and get into production as quickly as possible should they get the thumbs up.
How well is PULSE performing on Netflix?
We can see how well the new medical drama performs thanks to the Netflix top 10s and various other sources.
Let’s begin with the global weekly top 10s, which is the best indicator of success. The series featured in that global top 10 list for four weeks before dropping out, picking up 162.10 million hours watched, equating to 20.20 million views. Here’s how its performance breaks down week to week:
| Week in Top 10 | Week Period | Hours Viewed | Views / CVE | Weekly Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 30th, 2025 to April 6th, 2025 | 52,000,000 (New) | 6,500,000 | 3 |
| 2 | April 6th, 2025 to April 13th, 2025 | 68,100,000 (+31%) | 8,500,000 | 3 |
| 3 | April 13th, 2025 to April 20th, 2025 | 25,800,000 (-62%) | 3,200,000 | 7 |
| 4 | April 20th, 2025 to April 27th, 2025 | 16,200,000 (-37%) | 2,000,000 | 9 |
We also know that the series featured in the weekly top 10s of 82 countries (out of a possible 91), with the strongest performers being Israel at six weeks, Austria, Germany, Italy, and a handful of others at four weeks.
Of course, using the views number, we can then compare that to other shows that have been renewed, are in limbo, or have been canceled to chart how well it’s performing. Currently, it’s tracking around the same as The Residence, the Shondaland series, which is also awaiting a renewal, and just behind Ransom Canyon. Notably, it’s tracking beneath Obliterated, one of the most-watched cancellations in Netflix history. Honestly, it’s looking pretty inconclusive, meaning Netflix will take into account the completion rate among other factors for its renewal:
If we change the graph to be a line graph, you can see how the evolution for Pulse has been thus far compared to a few other shows in similar genres and/or budget ranges:
When comparing its performance to other first-season debuts, you can see in red the ones that were canceled and in green the ones that were renewed with their views metric 14 days after release. The series is right in that 50/50 spot for us.
Looking at the daily top 10s, we can see that the show fell out of most countries’ top 10s within a couple of weeks of debuting. Usually, for strong renewal contenders, you want to see a minimum of 3-4 weeks in the top 10s to guarantee a future return. The show spent 15 days in the US daily TV top 10s before dropping out and 13 days in the UK top 10s.
Looking at reviews, it’s a mixed bag. While sitting at a 6.3/10 on IMDb it didn’t pick up much steam on RottenTomatoes with a 48% score with the critical consensus being, “Checking off all the trendy tropes of modern medical dramas with disorganized execution, Pulse has its finger on the genre’s zeitgeist but pales in comparison to its contemporaries.”
What can we expect from Pulse Season 2?
Warning: The following section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!
Sam is the new Chief Resident.
After Dr. Cruz told Danny she was being made Chief Resident, the rug was pulled out from underneath the pair when Dr. Patrick Sanchez, the new Chair of Emergency, announced that he was making Dr. Samuel Elijah the new Chief Resident.
Sam is a respected Doctor, and the position was only ever between him and Danny. He has the support of the ER nurses and will likely have the support of many of the other residents and interns. The spotlight will now firmly be on Sam, as not only does he hold a lot of responsibility as Chief Resident, but his appointment is Patrick’s way of stamping his new authority in the ER.
Also, if Sam were to learn that Danny was initially chosen for the position, it could shake his confidence.
Netflix’s medical drama “Pulse” stars Jessica Rothe, left, Jack Bannon, Jessy Yates, Jessie T. Usher and Willa Fitzgerald. (Anna Kooris / Netflix)
Xander vs Patrick?
Xander has a new role as an Attending at the hospital. However, he and Sanchez do not get along. But as the new Chief of Emergency Medicine, Patrick has the power to make Xander’s life a misery. Not to mention, now that Xander has revealed to the board what happened at Kennedy, Sanchez may use that as ammunition to antagonise the new attending.
Danny x Xander?
Despite numerous large bumps in their relationship, Danny and Xander love each other, even if they are no longer together. With Xander now an attending at the hospital, he remains Danny’s boy, which was the source of her anxiety while they were secretly dating and she was pursuing the Chief Residency role.
With the pair continuing to work closely with each other, it will only become more challenging for the pair to stay apart, so it’s inevitable at some point that Danny and Xander will end up back together. Still, it could take for Danny to become an attending for that to happen.
Pulse. (L to R) Willa Fitzgerald as Danny and Colin Woodell as Phillips in Episode 107 of Pulse. Cr. Jeff Neumann/Netflix © 2024
Sophie x Camila?
Sophie’s sexuality hasn’t been revealed in the series as of yet; however, after her interaction with Camila in the last episode and how flustered she was to learn Camila was engaged, it’s evident that Sophie has feelings for Camila.
The pair have grown close as friends throughout the first season, but Sophie’s discovery that her crush is engaged and straight may result in her attempting to push Camila away. Alternatively, we may also see a lot of funny moments between the pair as Sophie gets flustered being around Camila, with the latter not understanding what’s going on. However, nothing ever stays a secret in dramas, so Camila will eventually discover that Sophie has feelings for her.
PULSE. (L-R) Daniela Nieves as Camila Perez and Chelsea Muirhead as Sophie Chan in Episode 110 of Pulse. Cr. Jeff Neumann/Netflix © 2024
What now for Tom?
Tom can’t get out of the way of himself as his ego, ambition, and selfishness risked his career after engaging in an inappropriate relationship with his patient, Nia Washington. This revelation has led to the fracturing of his relationship with his mentor, Dr. Soriano, and Nurse Cass, the one person fighting in his corner, to call it quits on their relationship. This is a good opportunity for the surgeon to become a better person and a better surgeon. However, it will take a monumental effort on his part to convince everyone around him that he is changing for the better.
There’s also the question surrounding his relationship with Nia. Will she want to pursue something romantic with him, or will her family attempt to sue the young doctor?
Caption/Description: PULSE. Jack Bannon as Tom Cole in Episode 104 of Pulse. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025
Who are the cast members of Pulse season 2?
We would expect to see the following actors return in Pulse season 2:
- Willa Fitzgerald as Danny Simms.
- Colin Woodell as Xander Phillips.
- Jessie T. Usher as Sam Elijah.
- Jack Bannon as Tom Cole.
- Jessy Yates as Harper Simms.
- Chelsea Muirhead as Sophie Chan.
- Arturo Del Puerto as Luis Dominguez.
- Justina Machado as Natalie Cruz.
- Daniela Nieves as Camila Perez.
- Santiago Segura as Gabriel Moreno.
- Nestor Carbonell as Ruben Soriano.
- Jessica Rothe as Cass Himmelstein.
- Ash Santos as Nia Washington.
- J.R. Ramirez as Patrick Sanchez.
When could we see a second season of Pulse on Netflix?
This depends on how quickly Netflix renews the series and when production can begin.
Filming for the first season occurred between March 25th, 2024, and July 26th, 2024. After filming ended, it took 8 months and 1 week before Pulse was released on Netflix. If renewal is confirmed and filming is underway this year, we could see Pulse return to Netflix as early as the second half of 2026.
For now, we await confirmation from Netflix. Would you like to see a second season of Pulse on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
