'Karen Pirie' Renewed for a Second Season

BritBox’s 2022 fall lineup of U.K. shows had some real gems that flew under the radar in a crowded landscape. Sherwood, for example, was one of the best shows on TV anywhere, hands down, and quickly landed a second season renewal. But another series that arrived in October 2022 had fans singing its praises, Karen Pirie, the Scottish set mystery series starring Lauren Lyle (Outlander) and based on the Val McDermid series of the same name. Though it took a little longer to confirm a Season 2, ITV has finally announced it is recommissioning the show for a second season.

Karen Pirie wasn’t just popular on BritBox here in the states. The series was a hit for ITV and streaming service ITVX, with a reported 6.6m viewers for the premiere episode and landing in the Top 10 dramas on ITVX. With Outlander drawing to a close with Season 7, Lyle was vocal about her desire to return to the role should ITV renew it; moreover, with six books in McDermid’s series and a seventh due to arrive later in 2023, there’s plenty of mysteries for the show to mine.

Season 1 was based on McDermid’ 's first Karen Pirie novel, A Distant Echo; Season 2 will continue the stories in order, with the show adapting the second Pirie book, A Darker Domain. As part of the press release, McDermid said, “I know the millions of viewers all over the world who loved the first Karen Pirie series will be as thrilled at this news as I am. I can’t wait to see how the team bring the next book, A Darker Domain, to life!”