Sharon D Clarke's 'Inspector Ellis' Lands Season 2 Commission

It took a good six months, but Acorn TV and Channel 5 finally confirmed Inspector Ellis's return for Season 2. One of the brighter debuts for the niche streamer in 2024, the series (which, like Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis before her, is merely called Ellis in the U.K.) stars viewer favorite Sharon D Clarke (Doctor Who) as the titular DCI, whose job taes her all around the U.K., arriving at local prescincts where major high-profile cases have stalled out or are about to go cold and rooting out what's preventing justice from being done.

Clarke will return as the title character, as will her sidekick, DS Chet Harper, played by PBS favorite Andrew Glover (Miss Scarlet). The two will head out on three brand-new feature-length cases for the new season, showcasing the small town villages of Northern England. Unsurprisingly, the press release included a statement from Clarke, who, in our exclusive interview, talked about how much it meant to her personally to star in a series like this one after growing up watching cozy crime series where the detectives never looked or sounded like her. Her official statement sounds like she's genuinely over the moon that the series got renewed.

"I am thrilled to return as DCI Ellis," Clarke said. "The response to the first series was overwhelming, and I am excited to continue this journey with such a talented team, especially with the wonderful Andrew Gower by my side. Ellis is a character who resonates deeply, and I can't wait for audiences to see what we have in store for her and Harper in Series 2." 

Channel 5 did not give much in the way of a synopsis, but to be fair, the first season of Ellis was an arc-less, mystery-of-the-week series, so the generic logline isn't all that incorrect.

Season 2 of Inspector Ellis will once again follow the DCI, a tenacious cop who, along with her right-hand man DS Harper, is parachuted into failing investigations across the north of England.   

Clarke and Gower are the only two confirmed to return in the press release, with the rest of the cast announced in due course., That being said, fans expect series regular Allison Harding (Nova Jones) to return as their assignment officer, ACC Leighton, and each episode will feature a roster of guest stars forming the ensemble found at each precinct.

Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and Paul Logue are the creative team behind Ellis, with Ejiwunmi-Le Berre penning one of the series' three feature-length episodes, alongside writer Maria Ward (Van der Valk), who helped pen Season 1, and newcomer to the franchise Oliver Frampton (Sister Boniface Mysteries). Directors for Season 2 have not been disclosed, but it would not be surprising to see Season 1 helmers Nick Hurran and Andy & Ryan Tohill return. Catherine Mackin, Bea Tammer, Michele Buck, and Lucy Raffety executive produce the series. Chris Martin is producer. 

Ellis Season 2 will begin filming by the end of May 2025, and is expected to arrive on Channel 5 and Acorn TV in early 2026.