‘Death Valley’ Season 2’s First Images Bring Out the Stars

We seem to be entering a Golden Age of British (and British-ish) cozy crime series. Both Acorn TV and BritBox grew their viewership in 2025 with a phalanx of detective series, including (but not limited to) Death Valley, Ludwig, Art Detectives, I, Jack Wright, and Irish Blood. All five have been renewed for a second season, but thus far, only Ludwig and now Death Valley have started revving up for a return. 

Death Valley is a Welsh production, although unlike some of BritBox’s more recent acquisitions, such as Tree on a Hill (Pren ar y Bryn) and Rough Cut (Dal y Mellt), it is filmed entirely in English. However, despite not being part of Cymraeg 2050, it is part of the BBC's push to create shows set outside London to paint a fuller picture of U.K. life. 

Death Valley feels a touch like the Welsh version of Only Murders in the Building. John Chapel, a world-renowned actor and “national treasure” after starring for years as the lead in the cozy crime series Caesar. Not that he thinks playing a detective on TV makes him a natural at solving crimes in his Welsh community, but DS Janie Mallowan, a longtime fan who wants to believe her hero is as smart as he seemed on screen, decides to ask the man who used to star in her favorite crime series for help.

Here’s the Season 2 synopsis:

Season 2 picks up a few months after the events of season one. Janie has been promoted to Detective Inspector and is busier than ever, with paperwork stacking up quicker than she can clear it. To make matters worse, she’s been ignoring John since finding out he’s been dating her mum. Janie’s hand is forced after a murder in a Community Payback group when DCI Barry Clarke forces her to bring John Chapel in as the department’s consultant. Meanwhile, John reluctantly re-enters the world of acting, on the set of an epic Welsh fantasy TV series, when the pair are called to investigate a murder.

Will this foray into his old thespian passion ignite something once forgotten in John? One thing is certain: whether investigating a murder in a coastal fishing village, a sustainable commune, or the competitive world of rugby, John and Janie will continue to bring justice to the mid-Wales region.

Timothy Spall (The Sixth Commandment) and Gwyneth Keyworth (Lost Boys & Fairies) return as actor John Chapel and DS Janie Mallowan, alongside returning cast Rithvik Andugula (Extraordinary) as co-worker DC Evan Chaudhry, Melanie Walters (Father Brown) as Janie’s mother, Yvonne; Steffan Rhodri (Gavin & Stacey) as Janie’s boss, DCI Clarke; and Alexandria Riley (Lost Boys & Fairies) as her BBF, Dr. Helen Baxter.

Guest stars for the new season include Jane Horrocks (COBRA), Hammed Animashaun (Black Ops), Alexandra Roach (Killing Eve), Roisin Conaty (After Life), Mark Lewis Jones (Outlander), Jim Howick (Ghosts), Owen Teale (Line of Duty), Asim Chaudhry (The Cleaner), Lynn Hunter (The End of the F***ing World), Rhiannon Clements (Patience), Liz Carr (Silent Witness), and Mike Bubbins (Mammoth).

Series creator Paul Doolan (Bloods) returns to pen all six episodes of Season 2 alongside Sian Harries, Ian Jarvis, and Nina Metivier. Directors Simon Hynd and Claire Winyard split helming duties with Nikki Wilson producing. Spall and Doolan executive produce alongside Josh Cole and Madeline Addy.

Death Valley Season 2 is expected to premiere in the latter half of 2026 in the U.S. Season 1 is currently available to stream on BritBox.

Death Valley

Once a beloved TV detective, widowed John Chapel solves crimes with DS Janie Mallowan.

BritBox Death Valley