The 'Showtrial' Season 2 Trailer Deals Head On With Police Violence

One of the BBC's more surprising hits during the lockdown era was Showtrial, a five-episode series that, while not particularly subtle in its themes, was a propulsively watchable legal drama, diving into the kind of case that gets called "Trial of the Century," even when there have already been multiple "Trials of the Century" in the last decade. (I joked at the time since lockdown meant no high-profile trials, the BBC had to invent one.) Originally meant as a standalone miniseries, the ratings were so high that the BBC commissioned it to become a multiple-season anthology, each season featuring a different controversial case with the sort of details that cause a media circus.

Season 1 was about the disappearance and murder of a college-age white girl whose wealthy roommate, Talitha Campbell (Céline Buckens), is accused of killing her. Sinead Kenan (Unforgotten) played the cop convinced of Talitha's guilt, and Tracy Ifeachor (Doctor Who) as Talitha's solicitor, Cleo Roberts, paid to keep the girl out of jail. The mix of class, race, violence, and money drew viewers to the series like it would a real case.

Season 2 hopes to pull the same trick with the show's second case, featuring an entirely new cast. Much like Season 1 felt like a mashup of several high-profile cases rolled into one, this season bases its controversies on the style of street demonstrations that sprang up during the pandemic. The clashes between law enforcement and protestors over Black Lives Matter and racial prejudice in policing sometimes felt like they took on a personal edge, especially when it came to the cops' response. While this case chooses to have the protests be over the more timely issue of climate change, that "taking it personally" angle is a dominant theme.

Here’s the new season’s synopsis:

When high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent hit-and-run, he uses his dying moments to identify his killer - a serving policeman. But who is this unnamed Officer X? What does his history reveal about the nature of trauma and revenge; was Marcus’ death a tragic accident or pre-meditated murder? From the victim's last breath to the jury’s final verdict, Showtrial introduces us to the charismatic and cocky police officer Justin Mitchell; Sam Malik, an anxious defense solicitor with a reputation for winning lost causes; and Leila Hassoun-Kenny a driven CPS lawyer leading the case against the accused. As public outrage reaches fever pitch, the series asks what happens when a trial is dominated by cultural divisions and whether the truth is ever clear cut. Is a fair trial even possible when tensions are riding so high?

The high-profile cast includes Francesca Annis (The Forsythe Saga), Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood), Nathalie Armin (Flatshare), Michael Socha (The Gallows Pole), Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones), Fisayo Akinade (Heartstopper), Tom Padley (Silent Witness), Kerrie Hayes (The Responder) and Barney Fishwick (The Buccaneers). Supporting cast includes Nina Toussaint-White (Bodyguard), Zoe Telford (The Lazarus Project), Ali Khan (A Haunting in Venice), Daniel Kendrick (Inside Man), Frankie Wilson (The Gold), Anna Próchniak (The Tattooist of Auschwitz), Anna Wilson Jones (Victoria), John Light (Around the World in 80 Days), Aidan McArdle (Ridley), Daisy Badger (The Sandman), Flora Montgomery (The Crown), Pearce Quigley (The Full Monty), John Marquez (Doc Martin), and Anna Healy (Mother’s Day).

Showtrial was created by Ben Richards, who penned all five episodes. Director Julia Ford (Everything I Know About Love) helmed the series, which was produced by Ken Horn. Richards executive produced alongside Simon Heath and Emma Luffingham for World Productions and Nawfal Faizullah and Katherine Bond for the BBC. 

Showtrial Season 2 debuts in the U.K. on Sunday, October 6, 2024. It is expected to debut on some combination of AMC+/Acorn TV/Sundance Now in early 2025.