'After the Flood' Adds Several High-Profile Cast for Season 2
Sophie Rundle as DS Jo Marshall in 'After The Flood'
ITV
The current rage in TV dramas seems to fall into one of two categories: post-apocalyptic-style survival or pre-apocalyptic paranoia. The former is defined by shows like The Last Of Us starring future OBE Bella Ramsay; the latter by Severance, where whatever the hell is going on, you certainly aren't paranoid enough about it. However, a third strand is starting to develop: mid-apocalyptic crises, where the effects of climate change are slowly destroying the world as humans attempt to continue business as usual despite mass tragedies being reported every other week. After the Flood is one of the premiere examples from 2024, and Season 2 just added an A-list cast to match.
After the Flood's first season premiered to mixed reactions, but the viewership numbers for the series about a poverty-stricken town in Greater Manchester experiencing a "once in a century" flood were high enough that ITV decided to give the show a second season. But perhaps most interestingly, despite some harsh critical reviews, the series has drawn some of the top-tier cast available in the U.K. Among the high-profile names joining the series blaring the climate alarm bells is Jill Halfpenny (Everything I Know About Love) who plays the new addition to the precinct, DS Sam Bradley.
Season 2 will feature a new mystery that will track across the show's six episodes; new additions for those involved in the newest crime include the great Alun Armstrong (Sherwood), playing Alan Benson, Ian Puleston-Davies (D.I. Ray) as Tony Rower, and Matthew McNulty (The Jetty) as Xav Palmer. Supporting cast additions include Oliver Nelson (Home Fires), Roger Morlidge (Call The Midwife), Tony Marshall (Sister Boniface Mysteries), and Lola Brown (Licorice Pizza).
Here's the Season 2 synopsis:
The second series finds newly promoted detective Jo Marshall on the trail of a baffling new murder investigation. As tensions simmer in Waterside amid the rising threat of moorland fires and the subsequent risk of further flooding, a body is discovered in bizarre circumstances.
Jo's race to stop the killer brings her into direct conflict with dark and influential forces within the town, ultimately drawing her into an investigation that becomes deeply personal. One that will require her to operate in secret if she is to have any hope of rooting out the corruption that has blighted the town's police force - and her own family - for decades.
The returning cast is led by Sophie Rundle (Happy Valley) as DS Jo Marshall, with Nicholas Gleaves (The Crown) as Sergeant Phil Mackie, Lorraine Ashbourne (Bridgerton) as Molly Marshall, Philip Glenister (Belgravia) as Jack Radcliffe,m and Matt Stokoe (Bodyguard) returns as Jo’s husband, Pat Holman. Other Season 1 cast who will reprise their roles include Tripti Tripuraneni (House of the Dragon), Heider Ali (Death on the Nile), Leo Flanagan (Gentleman Jack), Jacqueline Boatswain (Still Up), Faye McKeever (Adolescence), George Bukhari (Ridley), and no-longer-a-newcomer Maui Connock.
Series creator Mick Ford (Stay Close) returns as lead writer on the second season; Azhur Saleem (Doctor Who) will also return to direct Episodes 1-3. Ford is also an executive producer, alongside Nicola Shindler & Richard Fee for Quay Street Productions, Huw Kennair-Jones for ITV, and Robert Schildhouse & Stephen Nye for BritBox International.
After the Flood Season 2 is filming in the U.K. and is expected to arrive in late 2025 or early 2026.
