BBC

‘The Split Up’ Asks a Family of Lawyers the Tough Questions

'The Split Up' trailer makes us mad that the series doesn’t have American distribution yet.

Ani Bundel

11 Sep 2026 — 4 min read

Ritu Arya, Danny Ashok, and Dimitri Leonidas in 'The Split Up' (BBC)

Is having a career the same as having a life, and are the two mutually exclusive? These are the questions asked in The Split Up trailer, the new, sort-of sequel to the BBC’s 2018 hit series The Split.

If you never saw the initial 2018 series, don’t worry; very few Americans did. It was one of many British series lost on Sundance Now before AMC Global realized the streaming service needed to refocus on its original, independent, film-centric concept. Not that the company didn’t try to make it a hit, taking the Nicola Walker-led series about a family of divorce lawyers that wind up split across two competing firms and promoting it across Sundance, AMC+ and BBC America for its fourth and final season. When the Sundance Now rebrand took effect, all four seasons quietly shifted to Hulu without fanfare, where they still sit today.

The Split Up is less a direct sequel and more a new series inspired by the original. It features a completely new cast of characters, led by Walker’s former co-star on PBS, Sanjeev Bhaskar, as Dhruv Kishan, the paterfamilias of Kishan Law, a luxury law firm which also specializes in high-profile divorce cases. The new series kicks off as Dhruv plans his retirement, with his eldest daughter, Aria Kishan (Ritu Arya), expecting to inherit his role. But when a new hire arrives to help bolster the ranks, she begins to wonder if her father really believes in her as the family heir, leading her to start asking if she actually wants the job or if she’s assuming the mantle because it’s what everyone around her expects.

Here’s the new series’ synopsis:

In The Split Up, the death of Aria’s mother has cast a new light over succession plans for Dhruv, who has begun to wonder if his daughter can, or should, take on this responsibility single-handedly. Aria’s relationship is placed under scrutiny too, with the wedding to long-term partner Neal on the horizon, but with their personal and professional lives so entwined, it’s unclear if their relationship can withstand any more pressure - a problem further compounded when a former secret flame arrives in Manchester unexpectedly.

Alongside her siblings Maya and Kav, whose own relationships and loyalties are far from straightforward, Aria must navigate the splits that divide family and those we love – and ask herself: who should you live your life for?

Alongside Arya (The Umbrella Academy) and Bhaskar (Unforgotten), the series also stars Aysha Kala (Virdee) and Arian Nik (Film Club) as Aria’s siblings, Maya and Kav; Danny Ashok (Dinosaur) as firm partner and Aria’s fiancé, Neal; and Dimitri Leonidas (Those About To Die) as Luke, the new hire who is also secretly Aria’s ex.

The supporting cast includes Sindhu Vee (Starstruck), Shalini Peiris (The White Lotus), Tom Forbes (Queenie), and Mawaan Rizwan (Juice). As a divorce-case-of-the-week show, it will also bring in a bevy of guest stars, including Lenny Henry (Three Little Birds), Jane Horrocks (COBRA), and Jameela Jamil (The Good Place).

The Split Up was conceived by Ursula Rani Sarma (Bodkin), based on Abi Morgan’s The Split. Sarma is also the lead writer on the series, with Sumerah Srivastav (Missing You), Kaamil Shah (Sparks), and Sonali Bhattacharyya (Doctors) also penning episodes. Directors Shamim Sarif (Murdoch Mysteries) and Khurrum M Sultan (Vera) split helming duties, with Natasha Romaniuk producing. Sarma, Sarif, and Morgan all executive produce, alongside Jane Featherstone and Bryony Arnold, with Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC.

The Split Up will debut on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, September 20, 2026. The series still lacks an American distributor on this side of the pond; we are currently hoping Hulu will pick it up, since it has the initial series, or that it gets nabbed by PBS or BritBox.