Nemesis. (L to R) Y’lan Noel as Coltrane Wilder, Matthew Law as Isaiah Stilesin episode 105 of Nemesis. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
Just weeks after we got the fantastic news that Netflix had officially renewed the hit cat-and-mouse thriller Nemesis for a second season, it looks like the gritty L.A. drama is experiencing a major shakeup behind the scenes.
According to a recent report from Lesley Goldberg at The Ankler, series co-creator and showrunner Courtney A. Kemp will be stepping down from her day-to-day showrunning duties for the show’s sophomore outing. Netflix declined to comment to the outlet on the news.
Why is Courtney A. Kemp stepping down?
The exit comes down to industry overall deals. As The Ankler reports, the eight-figure exclusive pact Kemp signed with Netflix back in 2021 has expired. Before Nemesis even launched on the platform, the Power franchise mastermind jumped ship to sign a lucrative new exclusive TV deal and first-look film pact with Apple. Of course, this also came before Netflix had opted to renew the series, which came at the end of June.
Because of the stipulations in her new Apple TV+ contract, Kemp is strictly prohibited from acting as the showrunner on Nemesis moving forward. However, she isn’t leaving the series entirely behind—Kemp will still retain her credits as an executive producer and creator.
So, who is taking over? Netflix is currently expected to name a new showrunner to steer the ship. Fortunately, the series will keep a crucial piece of its original creative DNA intact: Co-creator (and Kemp’s fiancé) Tani Marole, who penned two of the first eight episodes, will remain involved as a writer for the second season.
What does this mean for Nemesis Season 2?
Kemp’s departure as showrunner is undeniably a massive shift for the series. She was highly vocal about her long-term vision for the thriller, previously revealing that she actively fought Netflix’s request to tie the first season up with a neat bow, ensuring she had a “Season 2 blueprint” ready to go.
Despite the change in leadership, Nemesis remains one of Netflix’s biggest breakout hits of the year. Starring Matthew Law and Y’lan Noel, the series launched on May 14, 2026, and spent its first five weeks sitting comfortably in Netflix’s worldwide Top 10 for English-language series. It racked up 7.1 million views in its first few days alone, trailing only behind the massive return of Berlin and eventually went on to score 32.6M views in the first half of the year according to the new Netflix Engagement Report.
Whoever takes the reins will have plenty of explosive narrative threads to pick up. Season 1 concluded with a bloody Century City shootout where hotheaded LAPD Detective Isaiah Stiles (Law) sacrificed capturing master thief Coltrane Wilder (Noel) to save his son, Noah (Cedric Joe), from an Alvarez cartel bullet. Going into Season 2, Stiles is stripped of his badge and isolated, having lost his wife Candace (Gabrielle Dennis) to ADA Malik Jacobs (Jeff Pierre). Meanwhile, Wilder is on the run, desperately needing to track down his pregnant wife, Ebony (Cleopatra Coleman), following a dramatic hospital breakout orchestrated by his sister-in-law Charlie (Sophina Brown).
Fans will also be looking to see if the new showrunner maintains the series’ deep connection to Los Angeles. As we discovered in our exclusive interview, Kemp and Marole made it a priority to film in authentic, lesser-seen neighborhoods like South Central, Watts, and the Diamond District, emphasizing that keeping a 200-plus-person local crew employed following the devastating L.A. fires was paramount to the show’s identity.
Netflix has yet to announce the official replacement for Kemp, but we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground for any production updates.
Are you surprised by the showrunner shakeup for Nemesis Season 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
