See the first photos from season 2 of Future Man

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For the second season of Future Man, which EW can exclusively reveal will drop Jan. 11 on Hulu, the show is going back to the future. “The first season was about two people coming from a horrible future and trying to prevent those events from happening through some time-travel antics,” says co-creator Kyle Hunter. “This season is about how our three main characters, who return to this future 2162 — they’re forced to live with the consequences of all their missions in the past.” First things first, that will involve telling us how Wolf (Derek Wilson) and Tiger (Eliza Coupe) get Josh (Josh Hutcherson) back to their future timeline. Click through for more exclusive images from season 2.

While season 1 relied heavily on a time-travel storyline, Hunter and fellow co-creator Ariel Shaffir say season 2 will remain more firmly planted in one time and place: 2162. “There’s some jumping around, but for the most part we really wanted to focus on them living in a certain future,” says Hunter. “We spent the bulk of the second season world-building, and putting them in some strange worlds and having them having to figure those out.… Josh is thrust into this future world, and he’s the fish out of water for the most part.” Or in water, if this photo is any indication.

Shaffir teases that a major theme of season 2 will be dealing with the fallout of mucking about in time and what the world Wolf and Tiger (the latter looking very powerful and mystical here) looks like. “The first season is about them trying to change the future, and this season is about them going to the future they changed and having to live with the consequences,” he says. “The bulk of the season takes place in the distant future, in 2162, but there’s still some time traveling that is going to happen.” For fans dying to get a glimpse of this future, Future Man will premiere season 2’s first episode, followed by a cast/creator panel, at New York Comic Con on Oct. 6.

These photos showcase a handful of new looks for the characters in season 1, and some unfamiliar faces. The creators are cryptic about what all this means, but Shaffir says, “This is a new future that they created. And a different timeline, so there’s new characters to introduce and explore.” Hunter notes how unusual it is for a comedy show to be this hush-hush. “Because it’s a serialized show, there’s so many things we don’t necessarily want to give away,” he says.

The future may not be so bright for season 1’s hero, Josh. “He’s in various stages of a mess of a life, so yes, in some of those stages, he is enslaved,” teases Hunter, while Shaffir adds, “It’s not a good future for Josh.” Hunter notes we will see a very different Josh this season: “He came from the highest place at the end of last season, and he will really wallow in the depths.” That includes some time wandering in the desert and a stint in indentured servitude.

Some moments (and costumes) in season 2 may look familiar to film fans. The creators promise their abundance of references and pop culture shoutouts will continue in season 2. “That’s engrained in Josh’s character,” notes Shaffir. “He sees situations and likens them to certain movies, so we definitely still have some references.” Hunter jokes, “We’re in the future. There’s a lot of Blade Runner stuff going on.” And their biggest reference point is tied to a certain Marty McFly, who also traveled to the future in his own sequel, a cinematic equivalent of a second season. “Back to the Future is definitely something we heavily draw from when we write this show,” reflects Shaffir, while Hunter jokes, “Next season will be in the Old West. I don’t know what happens after that.”