BritBox has announced the US and Canada premiere date for Season 2 of Karen Pirie, its hit Original Scottish mystery-crime drama series. (Yay!)
Like other fans of the show, I am totally stoked for the return of Karen Pirie.
If you haven’t watched this awesome Tartan Noir series yet, it centers on DS Karen Pirie (Lauren Lyle, Outlander, Broken), a brilliant young Scottish copper with a quick mouth, a fanny pack, and a tenacious desire for the truth. The first season follows her investigation into a cold homicide case, told across the time lines of 1996, when the murder occurred, and the present day.
As with Season 1, Season 2 is based on a title in Val McDermid’s series of “Karen Pirie” novels: A Darker Domain (affiliate link), a New York Times Notable Crime Book of the Year and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
Consisting of three two-hour episodes, the second season’s story revolves around the 1984 case of Catriona and Adam Grant, which has confounded investigators and intrigued the public like no other. Karen, who was promoted to Detective Inspector after her bittersweet success (in Season 1), is assigned to this cold case, putting her under intense scrutiny from her boss, the media, and sinister forces that would rather the past stayed in the past.
Back in 1984, Catriona (Julia Brown, World on Fire), the charming young heiress to a vast oil fortune, and her two-year-old son, Adam, were brutally kidnapped at gunpoint outside a fish-and-chip shop in Fife. The ransom notes that followed stirred up an uncontrollable press storm. But then the culprits fell silent, the police faltered, and Catriona and Adam were never seen again.
Now, a man’s body has been discovered, with indisputable links to the original kidnapping. With the first piece of evidence in decades, Karen must assemble an unbeatable team alongside her sincere and lovable sidekick, DC Jason “Mint” Murray (Chris Jenks, Sex Education, Vigil), and the brilliant but romantically-complicated DS Phil Parhatka (Zach Wyatt, Timestalker, The Witcher: Blood Origin).
With the international renown of the kidnapping and the constant pressure from Catriona’s father, Sir Broderick Grant (James Cosmo, Braveheart), the team takes on the biggest challenge of their careers to date. As Karen delves deeper into what happened in the autumn of 1984, political grudges and painful secrets reveal themselves, and it soon becomes clear that the past is far from dead.
Karen Pirie: Season 2, a BritBox Original, premieres in the US and Canada on Thursday, October 2, exclusively on BritBox.
Returning cast members also include Steve John Shepherd (EastEnders, Silent Witness), Emer Kenny (The Curse, Father Brown), and Rakhee Thakrar (I, Jack Wright, Wonka). In addition to James Cosmo, Saskia Ashdown (Annika), Frances Tomelty (Unforgotten), and John Michie (Holby City) also join them.
Joining Julia Brown in the cast for the 1980s part of the story are Mark Rowley (One Day), Kat Ronney (Dinosaur), Conor Berry (Dept. Q), Stuart Campbell (Rogue Heroes), Jamie Michie (Back to Life), Madeleine Worrall (We Were the Lucky Ones), Jack Stewart (Outlander), Thoren Ferguson (Rebus), and Helen Katamba (The Nest). The cast for the present-day storyline also includes James Fleet (I, Jack Wright), Tom Mannion (Traces), and Tommaso Basili (Ferrari).
Written by Emer Kenny, Season 2 is directed by Gareth Bryn (35 Days) and Amanda Blue (The Gathering), and produced by Marcus Wilson (Life on Mars). It is executive produced by Simon Heath and Emma Luffingham at World Productions, Emer Kenny, and Val McDermid. The series is produced in association with ITV Studios, which handles global distribution.
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A Darker Domain by Val McDermid
“Karen Pirie” books by Val McDermid
Catch up on Karen Pirie Season 1
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