'The Dry' Renewed for Season 3 Ahead of Season 2 Premiere

The dark comedy series The Dry is one of those shows that's survived a lot of upheaval as the U.K. streaming wars have forced British production studios and platforms to figure out where they stand. Unlike America, where our broadcast networks are all commercial, and their ratings collapse in the face of streaming is merely capitalism at work, public broadcasters in the U.K. have faced a full-on crisis as Tory leaders have asked why they're paying for channels that cannot keep up with the likes of Netflix.

ITV initially commissioned The Dry as a BritBox U.K. series when the BBC and ITV jointly owned both versions of BritBox; the series is part of a broader initiative to bolster Irish, Welsh, and Scottish programming. However, between the commissioning of Season 1 and its airing, ITV bought out the BBC from BritBox U.K., leaving their only joint streaming service as BritBox International. It then moved BritBox U.K. under the ITVX banner, where The Dry Seasons 1 launched. By the time Season 2 arrived in late 2024, BritBox U.K. was gone, and the series debuted on ITVX as an ITV series.

ITV's move put the show entirely under its control, which is one reason the series didn't stream on BritBox in the States; instead, it was consigned to Sundance Now, co-streaming on AMC+. With Season 2 finally hitting linear in the U.K., viewers should expect the series to return to Sundance Now in the coming months, with Season 3 to follow.

Here's the second season synopsis:

Season 2 picks up seven months on and to all outward appearances, it seems like the family is relatively content: Shiv’s been sober, celibate, and solvent for six months, Ant has hung onto his job at the estate agents and his relationship with Max, and Caroline’s making up for a lost time by shagging everyone she meets on Tinder. So far, so normal… Or is it? After all, how normal is it for three grown adults to still be living at home with their parents? Are the Sheridans really happy with this new status quo, or have they just rearranged their dysfunction and found another groove of denial to fit into? Shiv is determined to get sobriety right this time, to cut the toxic influences out of her life for good. But what if the biggest threat to Shiv’s stability turns out to be closer to home? Giving up alcohol is one thing…but what about giving up your family?

And here's the current planned synopsis for where the show will go in Season 3:

The Sheridans are back and about to face their biggest challenge yet. Series 3 unearths a massive family secret that throws everyone off kilter. Will this shocking revelation upend already fragile relations for good, or could this be the missing piece that will finally fix the Sheridans’ broken puzzle? Amongst all this emotional upheaval, the Sheridans must face the inevitable change. As the family desperately tries to forge new lives amidst the betrayals of the past, destructive patterns start to emerge, and soon, it’s Shiv who might not want to face some hard truths. As the family gathers for the series finale, Shiv realizes there’s only so long she can blame her family, her bad ex, and even the drink: what if the real problem in Shiv’s life is just…herself?

Roisin Gallagher (The Lovers) returns as Shiv Sheridan, with Siobhán Cullen (Obituary) and Adam Richardson (The Vanishing Triangle) as her siblings Caroline and Ant, and Ciarán Hinds (Belfast) and Pom Boyd (Bodkin) as her parents, Tom and Bernie Sheridan. Additionally, Moe Dunford (Dublin Murders) and Eoin Duffy (The Tourist) reprise their roles as Jack and Rory, respectively. Season 2 will add two new main characters, Sam Keeley (Kin) as Alex and
Michael McElhatton (The Long Shadow) as Finbar.

Series creator Nancy Harris penned all eight episodes of Season 2 and is expected to do the same for Season 3; director Paddy Breathnach is likely to return to the director's chair for Season 3 after helming all Seasons 1 and 2 episodes. Harri and Beathnach executive produce the series alongside Emma Norton, Ed Guiney, and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures.

The Dry Season 2 is expected to debut on Sundance Now and AMC+ in 2025, with Season 3 to follow in 2026/2027.