'Ellis' Season 2 Promises 'Godfather' Level Intensity
The trailer for 'Inspector Ellis' Season 2 is out, and we hope you, too, have also seen 'The Godfather.'
One of the best new detective shows on Acorn TV, Inspector Ellis, is heading back to screens in the U.K., which means it's officially on our radar for a release date in the U.S. The series stars Sharon D Clarke (Doctor Who) as the titular detective, a woman who is something of a one-woman AC-12 from Line of Duty. Not that she's infiltrating other precincts to uncover wrongdoing; she is parachuted into a case where local law enforcement isn't making headway, usually due to internal corruption. Technically, it is just her job to solve the case, but along the way, she tends to root out those who were doing everything they could to prevent it from happening.
The first season of Ellis* ran three feature-length case-of-the-week episodes, each named for the town where she's been dispatched, along with her sidekick/bagman DS Chet Harper, played by Andrew Gower (Miss Scarlet).
For Season 2, the show's structure has been altered to be more U.S.-centric TV-friendly, running four one-hour installments, two episodes per case. The U.K. network it airs on, 5, will debut Episodes 1 and 2 on back-to-back evenings for the premiere. It is currently unknown whether Acorn TV will do the same or air one episode a week over the course of a month.
(*Like Morse and Lewis before her, in the U.K., the show is titled Ellis. The American version adds the honorific.)
Here's the Season 2 synopsis:
Fresh from her victories in series one, DCI Ellis is once again parachuted into failing cases across the north of England. With Harper at her side, she faces a new wave of fractured communities and suspicious deaths that test not only her forensic brilliance but her resilience.
The series takes them from a rural village, where the suspicious death of a beloved community leader exposes long-nursed resentments, to the industrial shadow of a stone works, where the death of a young woman reveals a hidden network of coercion and exploitation. Every case peels back layers of silence, ambition, and betrayal.
Season 2 will bring back Clarke and Gower, the only consistent characters from the first season, to reprise their roles. It will also add a new main character to assist them, bringing back Season 1 guest star Charlotte McCurry (Dalgliesh) as DC Kate Trent.
The good news is that the longer runtime means the two cases will get more breathing room to develop over the course of the two installments. It also means some top-tier talent is stopping by to guest star across the show's four installments. The first case will feature John Hollingworth (Belgravia) as DS Malcolm Oliver, the recalcitrant officer failing to make headway in the investigation. Episodes 3 and 4 will introduce Stephen Tompkinson (DCI Banks) as DCI Chalmers, who also isn't about to take kindly to Ellis' arrival.
(Images: 5)
New faces also joining for Season 2 include Mark Addy (Game of Thrones), Niamh Blackshaw (The Jetty), Keir Charles (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), Cariad Lloyd (Beyond Paradise), James Doran (Say Nothing), and Sonny Ashbourne Serkis (Masters of the Air).
Ellis was conceived of by Paul Logue and Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre; Ejiwunmi-Le Berre once again penned most of the season's episodes with returning writer Maria Ward (Van der Valk) and new addition Oliver Frampton (Sister Boniface Mysteries). Sam O'Mahony (Guilt) is listed as director. Catherine Mackin, Bea Tammer, Michele Buck, and Lucy Raffety executive produce the series. Chris Martin is producer.
Inspector Ellis Season 2 will debut in the U.K. on 5, starting Monday, March 10, 2026. An American premiere date is expected to follow soon.
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