'The Capture' Reportedly Nabs a Third Season

They say that America and Britain are two cultures separated by a common language; the same is true for the TV the two countries broadcast. Channels like ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 are littered with American TV series, most of which never hit the heights of popularity they receive in America. The reverse is also true: Sherwood and Rogue Heroes were big debuts in the U.K. and drew in large audiences and critical acclaim. Here, they were lost on niche streamers, and while Sherwood Season 2 did better because BritBox's reach has grown, it still wasn't close to British viewing levels.

The Capture is another series that got rave reviews and high ratings when it debuted on the BBC in 2019. It even landed what seemed to be a major player in the streaming world when Peacock picked up the series and made it part of the service's debut package. However, as most will remember, Peacock's big debut was predicated on happening alongside the 2020 Olympics, which were canceled. Peacock still hasn't recovered from that abysmal launch, and The Capture's two seasons have gone almost entirely unnoticed in the States.

Considering how badly the American part of the deal has gone, one would not blame the BBC for packing it in after two rounds. However, The Capture remains a timely story. Writer Ben Chanan has the uncanny ability to take the complicated concepts inherent in Artificial Intelligence technology and make them easy for the average viewer to understand while clearly showing the dangers and benefits they present. Returning to the series now that the Al debate has gone global feels correct.

The BBC has not responded to requests for comment on The Capture's return, but reports currently peg the new season, once again penned by Chanan, as filming in the spring of 2025 and consisting of six episodes. Holliday Grainger (C.B. Strike), who starred in the first two seasons as DI Rachel Carey (later promoted to DCI), is the only actor mentioned in the reports as returning, that tracks as she is the audience avatar for this dive into the murky world of Big Tech, having been on the outside of it in Season 1, and then trying to bring it down from the inside at the end of Season 2.

However, the series cast has also included Ben Miles (Douglas is Cancelled) as Commander Danny Hart, Ron Perlman (Fantastic Beasts) as CIA Section Chief Frank Napier, and Lia Williams (The Crown) as DSU Gemma Garland in both seasons as the three officials at the heart of these technology deployments; all three would make sense to be back for a possible third outing. Considering that Season 2 ended with Carey whistleblowing on the entire department, one would imagine at least one of them will return for Season 3.

The Capture's first two seasons are still on Peacock; you just have to dig for them. We'll see if Season 3 will also land there or if the BBC will treat this like The Gold, and find a new home for the series wholesale.