Netflix Scoops Up Jamie Dornan's 'The Tourist'

To the surprise of just about nobody, The Tourist is moving house for Season 2. The Jamie Dornan-starring BBC series debuted to such high numbers in the U.K. that it landed a Season 2 despite most of the cast being killed off in the finale. However, in America, it was yet another British series lost in the wilds of "HBO Max" (now rechristened "Max") along with other brilliant gems the streaming service criminally failed to market like It's A Sin, I Hate Suzie, The Girl Before, Starstruck, Our Flag Means Death, and of course, The Great Pottery Throwdown. The fact is, Max deserves to have all these shows taken away and put somewhere people will watch them. For now, we must settle for The Tourist getting out and heading to Netflix.

When Season 2 was announced, it was evident that Max wasn't automatically picking up Season 2. The BBC announcement did not mention Warner Brothers Discovery co-producing the new season; it merely noted who was handling the international distribution rights as if it was not a settled matter. However, that did not mean the show wouldn't return to Max; it just meant nothing had been decided yet. The series also could have landed anywhere, from BritBox to Acorn TV to Sundance Now, where it would have only reached a modest viewership, even with an actual marketing campaign.

However, Netflix is a different story. At this current juncture, it is leagues ahead of the competition regarding the streaming wars, and head and shoulders above the rest in surfacing content to create hits. The list of shows that were flops, or merely modest hits on other streaming services, that blew up upon hitting Netflix is almost comical at this point, from You to Suits to the original Netflix bump shows that are still bumping like Breaking Bad. If there is any service that can turn The Tourist into a hit by snatching Season 1 from Max, where nobody saw it the first time, and debuting Season 2 after it premieres on the BBC, this is where it will happen.

Here’s the official synopsis for Seasons 1 and 2 via Netflix, which will be streaming both seasons:

In Season 1, Elliot woke up in the Australian outback with no memory and had to use clues to discover his identity before his past caught up with him. Season 2 sees Elliot travel to Ireland to find answers about his identity with Helen, but instead, they are forced to face the dangerous consequences of his past actions.

Season 1 of The Tourist starred Jamie Dornan (Belfast) as “The Man,” aided by Shalom Brune-Franklin (Great Expectations) and Danielle Macdonald (BirdBox) in a search for his identity. The first season also co-starred Greg Larsen (How Not To Behave), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (The Missing), Alex Dimitriades (The Cry), and Damon Herriman (Mindhunter). Season 2 sees Dornan return, now in possession of a name, “Elliott Stanley,” but little else. MacDonald and Larsen also reprise their roles alongside a new raft of characters, including Conor MacNeill (Industry), Olwen Fouéré (The Northman), Diarmaid Murtagh (Outlander), Nessa Matthews (Fair City), Mark McKenna (One of Us is Lying), and Francis Magee (Kin). 

Jack and Harry Williams (Baptiste) wrote all episodes; directors Fergus O’Brien (Happy Valley), Lisa Mulcahy (Years and Years), and Kate Dolan (You Are Not My Mother) split helming duties. The Williams brothers executive produce via their Two Brothers Pictures studio alongside Doran, Sarah Hammond, and Daniel Walker. Nawfal Faizullah executive produces for the BBC; Warner Brothers helped produce Season 1.

The Tourist Season 2 debuts on New Year’s Day in the U.K., Monday, January 1, 2024, on BBC One. Season 1 is expected to debut on Netflix at the beginning of February; Season 2 will arrive with all episodes on Thursday, February 29, 2024.