'Bergerac' Season 2 Begins Filming in Jersey, Still Has No U.S. Distributor

UKTV's decision to reboot the Jersey-set British detective series Bergerac turned out to be one of the smartest decisions it made in the 2020s so far, right alongside co-producing The Marlow Murder Club with PBS' Masterpiece. Marlow Murder wound up the most popular series debut in U&Drama's arsenal in 2024, breaking records for the network, all but guaranteeing the show's renewal even if Americans weren't into it. (Spoiler Alert: They were.) Bergerac then debuted in February 2025 and went on to eclipse Marlow's numbers, with a whopping 1.8 million viewers watching the series on linear and streaming platforms, setting a new record.

Unfortunately, Masterpiece did not return the favor and board Bergerac as co-producer. (It's not clear if it was ever even an option that could be considered at PBS, considering the current ongoing funding crisis.) With the series on track to be one of the most-watched shows in the U.K. in 2025, alongside Netflix's Adolescence and BBC's Death Valley, it's not a surprise that it was quickly renewed for a second season, despite lacking distribution across the pond.

However, the series' high ratings and guaranteed multiple seasons have still not been enough to entice an American distributor to board the reboot, despite it being one of the biggest detective shows from the 1980s, which launched fan-favorite John Nettles' career. As filming gears up for the show's sophomore season, we can only hope that someone in the U.S. recognizes the potential for this to be a hit show on both sides of the pond and scoops it up before 2026.

Here is the Season 2 synopsis:

The second series will see Jim Bergerac starting to put his life back together, while his mother-in-law, Charlie Hungerford, has a new man in her life. Jim’s even tentatively dating, with his daughter’s encouragement, although it’s a big step for him. But then he meets Nicola, a visitor to Jersey, and they connect. Could this be the start of something for Jim?

However, before the relationship even has time to blossom, Jim is pulled back into his next big case. When the groom at a wedding reception on the island is found murdered in his hotel room, the wedding party comes under intense suspicion and scrutiny. Jim will have to decipher the victim’s cryptic last words from his speech if he is ever going to bring the killer to justice. And when Jim starts to unravel old secrets, more skeletons come to light, making this his most intricate case yet.

Damian Molony (Being Human) will return to lead the series as the titular detective, with Zoë Wanamaker (Professor T) as his mother-in-law, Charlie Hungerford, and Robert Gilbert (Big Boys) as Barney Crozier, both of whom are confirmed to return. While the rest of the Season 2 cast has yet to be confirmed, it seems likely Chloé Sweetlove (The Crow Girl) will also be back as his daughter, Kim, and Sasha Behar (Foundation) as his boss, Uma Dalal.

Bergerac is based on the original series created by Robert Banks Stewart; Toby Whithouse (who worked with Molony on Being Human) will return as lead writer for Season 2; for this season, he will be joined in writing the six-episode series by Ashley Sanders, Emilie Robson, and Faebian Averies. Directors have not yet been announced. Whithouse executive produces with Ben Bickerton & Philip Trethowan for BlackLight TV, Brian Constantine for Westward Studios, and Helen Perry for UKTV. 

Bergerac Season 2 will film in Jersey beginning in July 2025 and is expected to continue through the fall. It is currently slated to debut in early 2026. Season 1 still inexplicably lacks a streaming home in the U.S., despite being custom-made for PBS. All seasons of the original Bergerac are streaming on BritBox, which also appears to be uninterested in scooping up the reboot for reasons that utterly mystify me.