Masterpiece to Air 'Baptiste' Season 2 In Time For Halloween
When Baptiste premiered on Masterpiece in early 2020, it was a highly anticipated debut. A spinoff of the BBC drama The Missing, which had aired over here on STARZ, the Tchéky Karyo focused series promised a Euro-centric continent-spanning detective story for the Masterpiece brand. Season 1, which saw the aging French detective head to Amsterdam, focused less on the story of a single missing child. Instead, it was a case involving an expansive trafficking operation bubbled into by the semi-hapless Edward Stratton (Tom Hollander) and Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife) as Genevieve Taylor, the Interpol agent who teams up with Baptiste. Now Season 2 is on the way this October with a whole new story and supporting cast.
The series was greenlit for a second season even before the show came to the U.S. But between filming delays and so-so reviews, the BBC decided two seasons was enough. The show will debut on BBC One in mid-July, with the premiere on BBC One on July 18, with all episodes streaming on iPlayer to follow. For PBS viewers, the new season will arrive in mid-October, airing weekly alongside fan-favorite Grantchester, with an unsettling new thriller about a missing child just in time for what's know over here as "spooky season."
The Missing's secret weapon was always its guest stars, and Season 2 of Baptiste will attempt to recapture this model, bringing aboard the fantastic Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) as British Ambassador Emma Chambers, whose whole family disappears while on a skiing holiday in the Hungarian mountains. As the show has always done, the entire season will relocate for the new season, most of which filmed in Budapest. Check out the first look at Shaw in the new season in the BBC trailer.
The official synopsis from BBC One reads: "Julien Baptiste is not the man we knew before. After enduring a horrific personal tragedy, Julien has pushed his wife Celia away and is looking for any distraction — whether that be the bottom of a bottle or a new case — to consume him."
When British Ambassador Emma Chambers' whole family disappears whilst on a skiing holiday in the Hungarian mountains, Baptiste immerses himself into Emma's world, committed to finding her husband and two sons. However, when the case turns into something far more brutal and desperate, Julien must navigate a Hungarian police force he doesn't trust and unrelenting media who are hungry for information on such a high-profile international case. Julien must remain rational in the face of chaos in order to find Emma's family. Will he be able to solve his most complex case yet?
The new season will also include Jamie Maclachlan (The North Water), Fruzsina Nagy (Land of the Brave), and Caroline Boulton (I Hate Suzie). Anastasia Hille (The Pembrokeshire Murders) will return as the long-suffering Celia Baptiste. However, it is not clear if their daughter or her family will be a part of the new season. It's also unknown if Boris Van Severen will be back as Baptiste's long-lost son Niels Hotchner, who was left to rot in prison after killing his mother at the end of Season 1.
Baptiste's second and final season arrives on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, at 10 p.m. ET on most PBS stations. As always, check your local listings.
