'Funny Woman' Returns to PBS in 2025

Despite the awkwardness of the series name, critics and reviewers loved Gemma Arterton's first season of Funny Woman. (So-called because it's adapted from the Nick Hornsby novel Funny Girl, a title already taken by a rather famous musical.) However, viewers, assuming the title was a comedy, were surprised to discover the show had serious things to say. It wasn't until PBS picked up the show for American audiences in the summer of 2023 that a (much shorter) second season was commissioned, down to four installments from Season 1's six. But as the second season heads to America, it's clear Funny Woman has more to say this time around.

Season 1 followed the adventures of Barbara Parker (Arterton), Blackpool Beauty Queen, who decided she wanted more from life and moved to London to break into the BBC's fledging comedy lineup. After being renamed Sophie Straw by a less-than-scrupulous manager, she worked her way into an audition, where her undeniable comedy chops helped her shove open the doors of the Old Boy's Club. But double standards and sexist nonsense (not to mention divorce laws) made her life (and her love life) much more difficult than it should have been.

Season 2 returns with Sophie still plugging away at the BBC, now a major star in her own right. But when live TV goes disastrously sideway, Sophie discovers an offer to make a movie might be just the thing. Check out the trailer from when the show debuted on Sky in September 2024.

Here's the Season 2 synopsis:

The second series finds Sophie on a high. She is the nation’s favorite TV comedy star; she’s got a group of good friends, and her romance with Dennis is full of promise. But trouble is just around the corner: Dennis's divorce will take three years; Sophie’s new sitcom flops, and she uncovers a devastating family secret.  Sophie escapes the turmoil by taking a leading role in a film opposite a glamorous French movie heartthrob. The film is a hit, and Sophie’s slick new US agent offers her a fresh start in Hollywood…

But Sophie returns to London, determined to get the gang back together and to create a new show that reflects her real life and challenges outdated cultural conventions.

Most of the Season 1 ensemble returns, including Clare-Hope Ashitey (Top Boy) and Alexa Davies (COBRA) as BFFs Diane and Marjorie, Matthew Beard (Vienna Blood) and Leo Bill (Becoming Elizabeth) as Bill and Tony, Arsher Ali (Everyone Else Burns) as boyfriend Dennis, Emily Bevan (The Full Monty) as Dennis soon-to-be-ex-wife Edith, Alistair Petrie (Sex Education) as BBC boss Ted Sargeant, David Threlfall (Passenger) as father George Parker, Olivia Williams (Dune: Prophecy) as mum Gloria, Rosie Cavaliero (Gentleman Jack) as Aunt Marie, and Doon Mackichan (Good Omens) as Miss Sykes.

Season 2 adds an entire roster of new faces to the cast, including Gemma Whelan (D.I. Ray), Marcus Rutherford (The Wheel of Time), Lydia Leonard (Ten Percent), Tim Key (Wicked Little Letters), Roisin Conaty (After Life), Rory Keenan (The Regime), Lydia Wilson (Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue), Jack Docherty (Monarch of the Glen), Josie Lawrence (Father Brown), and Steve Zissis (The Changeling).

All four of Funny Woman's Season 2 installments are written by Morwenna Banks (Slow Horses), with Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley (Veep). Oliver Parker (The Great Escaper) directs all episodes. The new series is executive produced by Banks, Arterton, and Hornby, with Andrea Calderwood, Gail Egan, Jessica Parker, and Jessica Malik. 

Funny Woman Season 2 will arrive on most PBS stations, the PBS app, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel at 10 p.m. on Sunday, February 2, 2025, taking over the Vienna Blood Season 4 slot when it concludes. All four episodes will be available as a binge on premiere day for PBS Passport members.