'The Responder' Season 2 Arrives Stateside in Mid-July
Bernard Hill in his last role on screen as the father of Chris Carson, played by Martin Freeman in 'The Responder' Season 2
BBC/BritBox
The passing of Bernard Hill in May 2024 was tragic timing, as the late actor had only just begun to emerge from a self-imposed retirement he'd taken in 2016. Part of what had drawn the actor to start working again was a script he'd received, offering a role in one of the BBC's newest hits, The Responder. The Responder was part of a slew of post-pandemic series focusing on the reality of jail and policing in the U.K., including critical hits such as Time, and its second season added in a character who weighed heavily on the first season despite never appearing on screen, Chris Carson's (Martin Freeman) abusive father.
Hill's performance as the aging shell of a monster who haunts his son to this day had already scored rave reviews as part of Season 2's critical praise in the U.K. when his death was publicly announced. That left American fans wondering when the new season would travel stateside since it was known BritBox had the rights to the hit series in the U.S., though no release date was yet set.
Thankfully, the wait won't be long, as The Reponder's second season will arrive in July 2024. It will be part of a set of high-profile releases for the British niche streamer, starting with June's release of Blue Lights Season 2. Blue Lights will air two episodes a week on Thursdays in an attempt to retake the British mystery slot once dominated by PBS' Mystery!, and The Responder will follow directly in the same timeslot after its finale airs, beginning July 11th.
Here's the Season 2 synopsis:
Buckle in. The Responder is back for series 2! Martin Freeman stars as an urgent response officer trying to stay on the straight and narrow. But when he crosses a top drug dealer, he starts to fall back into old ways.
Along with the return of Martin Freeman and Adelayo Adedayo, Season 2 will also bring back MyAnna Buring (The Salisbury Poisonings), Warren Brown (Luther), Josh Finan (The Gentlemen), Emily Fairn (Mary & George), Philip S McGuinness (The Alienist), Faye McKeever (The Moorside), Mark Womack (The Vanishing Man) and Amaka Okafor (Bodies).
This season's new additions include Adam Nagaitis (The Terror) and Ian Puleston-Davies (Pennyworth), as well as the late Bernard Hill (Wolf Hall) in his final on-screen role.
Series creator Tony Schumacher penned all episodes with directors Jeanette Nordahl, Mounia Akl, and Charlotte Regan splitting helming duties across the five episodes of the second season. Executive producers include Barrington Robinson with Laurence Bowen, Chris Carey and Toby Bruce for Dancing Ledge Productions, and Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC.
The Responder Season 2 will debut on BritBox with two episodes on Thursday, July 11, 2024, and will continue with two episodes a week on Thursdays through the end of the month.
