Star Trek: Picard Season 2: Michael Chabon to Step Down as Showrunner

All good things… must come to an end. Such is the case with Michael Chabon’s role as the showrunner of Star Trek: Picard. But for a good reason! Following the first season of Star Trek: Picard, Chabon will transition out of the showrunner role on that show to showrun a different TV series for CBS Studios: an adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which will be on Showtime.

Per Variety, Chabon and his producing partner Ayelet Waldman have signed a multi-year overall production past with CBS Studios, which includes a series commitment for Kavalier and Clay. Should Star Trek: Picardgo on to a second season, Chabon will stay on as an executive producer, remaining creatively-involved with the show, but someone else would have to take over showrunning duties.

Star Trek: Picard is slated to premiere on Jan. 23, 2020 on CBS All-Access, and to tell the story of Jean Luc Picard two decades after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. The 10-episode first season will see Picard lured away from his beloved vineyard when a young woman named Dahj (Isa Briones) asks for his help. And, everyone? It looks awesome.

Given how thematically-rich and focused the show seems to be, it will be a shame, should it go to Season 2, to lose Chabon as the chief, creative force. However, there are tons of other talented writers/showrunners out there, and it does open up the possibility to bring someone else on, a la the showrunner-per-season structure that Killing Eve has intentionally set.

We’ll have more news on Star: Trek Picard Season 2 should it be announced. In the meantime, get ready for the premiere of Season 1 on January 23rd on CBS All-Access. Read more about Star Trek: Picard Season 1 here.

Kayti Burt is a staff editor covering books, TV, movies, and fan culture at Den of Geek. Read more of her work here or follow her on Twitter @kaytiburt.