The BBC & Showtime Debut 'Dreaming Whilst Black' Season 2's First Look

One of the unsung comedies of the BBC's current lineup, Dreaming Whilst Black, is heading back to the small screen for Season 2 before the end of 2025. The screamingly funny half-hour comedy hails from series co-creator Adjani Salmon, who originally launched it as a web series in 2018. In 2021, it was included as part of a series of web comedies given pilot episodes by the BBC, along with other offbeat hits, like Alma's Not Normal, which was then greenlit for a full season. Loosely based (very loosely based!) on Salmon's real-life experience of trying to become a Black British filmmaker, the series now returns for Season 2, and the first look promises a Jane Austen/Bridgerton send-up.

Dreaming Whilst Black's return to the BBC is a welcome one; however, the series has thus far languished in the U.S. One of the last shows picked up by Showtime before it was folded under the Paramount+ banner, the show was not marketed for either the streaming service or the network. However, unlike The Gold, which Paramount smartly realized would never work for them, and was allowed to find a home on PBS, Paramount's new Skydance owners have held on to the series.

Previous owners Shari Redstone fumbled the shift to streaming; however, Paramount, as a legacy studio that's been around for over a hundred years, actually has all the pieces and parts to create a successful service. Moreover, it has a leg up on most of its peers, with BET, one of the few Black-owned and operated networks, as part of its collection. Redstone had been trying to offload it, but Skydance's David Ellison has walked that back, suggesting that Paramount might be the first high-profile service to bring a solid lineup of programming to Black viewers. Dreaming Whilst Black is a perfect fit for that aim.

Listen, I don't know much about the series-within-a-series, Sin & Subterfuge, that Salmon's character, Kwabena, is working on. But I do know I'm going to need at least a full season of it, stat.

Here's the Season 2 synopsis:

The new season finds Kwabena at the start of his professional career in a new era: the age of diversity, equity, and inclusion, where empowering marginalized voices is seemingly at the top of everyone's agenda. Whilst the entertainment industry might look progressive from the outside, it doesn't feel that way to Kwabs. Desperate to work on a project that aligns with his values, he manages to secure a directing job for major TV series Sin and Subterfuge – a genre-busting period drama, helmed by the iconic black producer Bridgette Julienne. But has Kwabs landed the golden ticket, or did he grab a poisoned chalice?

Salmon returns along with the core Season 1 cast, including Dani Moseley (Everything I Know About Love) as Amy, Demmy Ladipo (We Are Lady Parts) as Maurice, Rachel Adedeji (Champion) as Funmi, and Babirye Bukilwa (We Hunt Together) as Vanessa. 

Salmon penned all episodes of Season 2 with co-writer Ali Hughes; directors Sebastian Thiel and Abdou Cisse split helming duties across the show's six installments; and Nicola Gregory produces it. Salmon and Hughes executive produce along with Big Deal Films’ Dhanny Joshi and Thomas Stogdon.

Dreaming Whilst Black Season 2 does not have a firm release date, but is expected to arrive on the BBC before the end of 2025. The series will then air on Showtime and stream on Paramount+, most likely in early 2026. Season 1 is available on Paramount+ with Showtime.