'Outlander' Star Joins 'The Forsytes' as Season 2 Filming Begins

Masterpiece has confirmed that its forthcoming period drama The Forsytes will be sticking around for a while. Though this new adaptation of John Galsworthy's Nobel Prize-winning book series The Forsyte Saga has yet to premiere on either side of the pond — and won't for a few more months — the splashy period drama has already been renewed for a second season, and production is already underway. While welcome, this news isn't entirely surprising, given that even the scant Season 1 marketing materials released thus far have not exactly been subtle about the hopes that this show would run for a long while. But it's still nice to know that it's safe to get attached to the series and its characters.

Now renamed The Forsytes, (presumably to help set it apart from the original 1967 series and the 2002 remake, both still considered genre-defining examples of what a period drama is meant to be and do), the story will once again follow the messy lives of a wealthy family in 1880s London as they wrestle with often conflicting motivations of duty and desire.

Season 2 is currently filming and has added a handful of new faces to its sprawling ensemble cast. The most recognizable is former Outlander star Richard Rankin, who has played fan favorite character Roger Mackenzie since the popular historical romance's second season. He'll be joined by Sarah Alexander (Art Detectives) and Nia Ashi (Bob Marley: One Love), though the roles the three newcomers will be playing are still under wraps.