'Surface' Creators Discuss London Relocation & Sophie’s Next Chapter

A lot has happened in the two and a half years since the first season finale of Apple TV+’s mystery/thriller, Surface. However, when protagonist Sophie Ellis/Tess Caldwell (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) returned to Apple TV+, only a few weeks had gone by for her character who, at the end of Season 1, faked her death on the Golden Gate Bridge to disappear from her fraught and complex marriage with James (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). 

As promised in "See You on the Other Side," Sophie has slipped back into the shoes (and robust bank account) of her Tess Caldwell persona, resettling in London to find her former childhood friend, Eliza Huntley (Millie Brady); the same woman who has been haunting her dreams. She’ll also seek the help of Callum (Gavin Drea), a journalist covering corruption by the elite of London, to find out more about her past. 

The change of locale allows for a far more personal story to unfold around Sophie as her roots are dug up and finally examined. Let’s just say, they’ll prove to be extremely complex. Joining the drama this season will be more of the Huntley family including Quinn (Phil Dunster), Rupert Graves and Joely Richardson as Eliza and Quinn’s parents, and Freida Pinto as Quinn’s fiance, Grace. 

We spoke with Surface creator/showrunner Veronica West and executive producer  Lauren Neustadter about what they’ve adjusted about the series in the second season, moving the production to London and Sophie’s connection to the powerful Huntley family.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Telly Visions: You had a significant period of time — about 18 months — to develop Season 2. How did the writers’ room take advantage of that, and what did you focus on to distinguish this season from the last? 

Lauren Neustadter: We were laying track for all of [arc] in the first season. I think what was wonderful was being able to watch the season. Also, being able to connect with the fans and understand what it was that they loved and what it was that they were excited for in another season, and then bake it in. Part of the thing that's so great when you give yourself time is that you can write all of the episodes. Veronica and our amazing writers' room wrote the entire season. 

When you have an intricate mystery where you're turning over cards left and right like we are in the second season, it's great to have the entire season written. You can go back and look at it, and go, "Okay, so now that we know that we're going to do this in the finale, what other interesting stuff can we do to lay bread crumbs along the way?" To the creative team's great credit, I think the mystery is propulsive and intricately woven in this season. So exactly as you said, it was the benefit of having time, not having to rush; being able to reflect and then make it as good as possible. I feel like we did it.

Veronica West: Getting to go back and reread the season. The best part of writing is when you're in the middle of a script and something comes to you that's not even in the outline, that's a total surprise. A character says something in your brain, and you're like, "Oh, my God, that's great! Well, I'm glad we haven't shot the first four episodes.” We can go back and plant that and have arcs that feel complete and satisfying to the audience in a way that Season 1 didn't always get to do, and have that luxury of time. 

TV: Season 2 leans into the locations of London. What did shooting there bring to the story that makes it different from San Francisco?

West: We had tremendous access. We were so grateful to be able to shoot in some of these locations, throw a party in the British Museum, and shoot Sophie and James outside the Tower Bridge. These are dreams come true, like wish list locations, and we got them all. In a sense, San Francisco is a small town. It is iconic. But London is a much bigger city. It has bigger energy and lent itself to the story having higher stakes this season and keeping the energy up as the city brings so easily. 

TV: This season addresses the modern culture versus the old money culture of England. What was interesting to the writers about juxtaposing Sophie’s immigrant story with the generational story of the Huntley family?

West: From the beginning you see that Eliza Huntley, Millie Brady's character, and Quinn Huntley, who Phil Dunster plays in the new season, are part of this new generation of their family. They want to use their wealth and privilege for the power of good, and they're focused on that at the beginning. We're rooting for them. Their parents and their grandparents feel more on the periphery. But as the season grows and develops and continues, they find themselves put in situations that are more complicated to navigate. 

In some cases, start repeating the same mistakes that their older generations made. Even though that wasn't their intent, they begin to see that maybe they have no choice. How do you keep what you have? How do you hold onto that? Seeing Sophie come into that world, with no idea of her connection to it, she has an entirely different perspective on Eliza and the family after discovering the truth about herself.

TV: It’s fascinating that Sophie/Tess is an unreliable narrator about her life, so the audience is along for the ride discovering things with her. As writers, it's tough to make that work over eight episodes. What were the challenges of allowing her to finally learn about her past, doing it as an unfolding mystery style, while also making sure she is propulsive in her own story?

Neustadter: I will honestly say it was a tall order. Veronica and the writers did an incredible job of putting Sophie in situations where she was forced to find answers and often over her head. Tying to the question you asked about the new money versus the old money, both in San Francisco and London, I think that Sophie is incredibly brave. I think she wants the answers and knows she doesn't have them. Then what becomes very interesting and active is she'll put herself into a situation, and then she'll realize, "Oh my God, I didn't have any of the information about what this was going to be." So then, she's in a situation that we've got to watch her get out of. We've got to watch her find all the answers she's looking for, and what happens is we care about her. We just deeply, deeply care about her from the outset. 

I think going into the world of the Huntleys is almost like peeking behind a curtain. It's exciting to do, but as we do that with Sophie — because we're seeing everything through her eyes — we realize the danger is so much greater than we, or she could have ever imagined. And so we're all sort of in over our heads, and we've got to see what's going to happen, which I think is the joy of the second season.

Surface continues with new episodes on Fridays on Apple TV+ through mid-April 2025.