'Vigil' Gets a Chilly Commission for Arctic-Set Season 3
Suranne Jones as DCI Amy Silva and Rose Leslie as DI Kirsten Longacre in 'Vigil'
BBC
Despite the incessant rumors surrounding Line of Duty's return, U.K. viewers already have a solid replacement, and it's not any of the shows that followed from creator Jed Mercurio in the wake of the series' sixth (and so far final) season. As much as Trigger Point, D.I. Ray and others try to live up to the reputation; Vigil has replaced the halls of AC-12. For those who have missed the series' first two seasons (very easy for Americans to do as it is lost on Peacock with no marketing to speak of), like Line of Duty, Vigil is two internal affairs investigators searching out traitors, except instead of the Birmingham Police force, it's the British Military.
Vigil should, by rights, be a U.K. show with decent U.S. viewership, considering it stars two British actors who are very familiar to Americans as well as Brits. Suranne Jones, who at this point is most famous for Gentleman Jack, stars as DCI Amy Silva, with Rose Leslie (Downton Abbey) as DS (and later DI) Kirsten Longacre. In Season 1, the two were thrown together to solve a murder aboard the HMS Vigil. (Hence the show's name, as it was initially supposed to be a limited series.) Season 2 took them to the Royal Air Force to find who tampered with a prototype combat drone, killing dozens.
However, what drives the series is Jones and Leslie's chemistry. Vigil, it turned out, was not just a "noble officers rooting out the bad apples" series. It's also an LGTBQ+ relationship drama, as Amy and Kirsten fall in love. Like I said, I have no idea why none of you are watching, but they're coming back for Season 3, and this time, it's murder in the Arctic Circle.
Here's the Season 3 overview:
DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre return as their new case takes them to a remote Arctic research station, where a member of a covert British special forces mission has been shot dead. Amy and Kirsten will need to catch the killer and diffuse a potential international confrontation driven by a land-grab for energy and resources in the changing polar climate, with both their careers and relationship on the line.
Thus far, Jones and Leslie are the only cast members returning, as Silva and Longacre, respectively. That's not a big surprise; Vigil isn't an anthology series in the strictest sense. It's more like Line of Duty, where the central cast is the investigative unit. Every season investigates a new department; everyone else is filed under "guest star" when they first appear.
The series was written and created by Tom Edge, who executive produces with Simon Heath and Jake Lushington for World Productions and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. Writers and directors for Season 3 will be announced in due course.
Vigil Season 3 will film in the spring of 2025 and is expected to debut in the U.K. before the end of the year. The series will stream on Peacock in the U.S. shortly after its run concludes in the U.K.
