Karen Pirie season 2 start time, cast, episode count and how to watch as Lauren Lyle returns
Detective drama fans, brace yourselves – Karen Pirie is making a comeback to our screens in mere hours with its hotly anticipated second season on ITV.
The show, which debuted in 2022, brings to life Val McDermid's Inspector Karen Pirie novels, with Outlander star Lauren Lyle taking the helm as the gutsy protagonist.
She plays a young, fearless Scottish investigator "with a quick mouth and a tenacious desire for the truth".
In its inaugural season, viewers watched Pirie delve into a quarter-century-old murder case of a barmaid, sifting through layers of deceit to pinpoint the true culprit amidst a tangle of possible motives.
Penned by Emer Kenny and hailing from the production team behind hit series Line of Duty and Bodyguard, Karen Pirie is gearing up for its second outing, drawing inspiration from McDermid's second novel, A Darker Domain, reports the Express.
Lauren Lyle has expressed her excitement about the continuation: "I'm thrilled that we will continue the life of our fearless young detective Karen Pirie, and of course, her bumbag. I've known for a while how well the show has gone down behind the scenes so it's been a joy to see audiences want more."
She added: "It's a creative honour to work alongside Emer Kenny with the backbone of Val McDermid's story. Season 1 was incredibly exciting building an original character we hadn't seen before. I look forward to getting the gang back together and finally being able to answer the question: 'Please say there will be a season 2?' with an 'Oh yes.'"
Here's everything you need to know about season two.
When does Karen Pirie air on ITV and how can I watch?
Karen Pirie season two will air on Sunday, July 20, with the first episode premiering at 8pm on ITV1.
All episodes will be available to stream on ITVX.
Who is in the cast of Karen Pirie season 2?
Lauren Lyle will return alongside series one stars including Sex Education actor Chris Jenks, Timestalker's Zach Wyatt, EastEnders actor Steve John Shepherd, Emer Kenny and Rakhee Thakrar.
Joining the returning cast as new characters related to the case are Saskia Ashdown, James Cosmo, Frances Tomelty and John Michie.
The cast also includes Julia Brown, Mark Rowley, Kat Ronney, Conor Berry, Stuart Campbell, Jamie Michie, Madeleine Worrall, Jack Stewart, Thoren Ferguson, and Helen Katamba, James Fleet, Tom Mannion, and Tommaso Basili.
How many episodes are in Karen Pirie season 2?
Just like the first season, series two will have three episodes, titled A Darker Domain: Part 1, 2 and 3.
The official synopsis teases: "After her bittersweet success in series one, Karen has been promoted to Detective Inspector and seemingly given the authority she has long been fighting for.
"Just as she's getting into the swing of her powerful new role, she is assigned an infamous unsolved case that will put her under intense scrutiny; from her boss, from the media, and ultimately, from sinister forces that would rather the past stayed in the past.
"The 1984 case of Catriona and Adam Grant has confounded investigators and intrigued the public like no other. Catriona, the charming young heiress to a vast oil fortune, and her two year old son Adam, were brutally kidnapped at gunpoint outside a fish and chip shop in Fife.
"The ransom notes that followed stirred up an uncontrollable press storm, but when the culprits fell silent, the police faltered, and Catriona and Adam were never seen again.
"Now, a man's body has been discovered, with indisputable links to the original kidnap. With the first piece of evidence in decades, Karen must assemble an unbeatable team alongside her sincere and lovable sidekick DC Jason 'Mint' Murray (Chris Jenks) and the brilliant - but romantically complicated - DS Phil Parhatka (Zach Wyatt).
"With the international renown of the kidnap and the constant pressure from Catriona's father, Sir Broderick Grant (James Cosmo), the team take on the biggest challenge of their careers to date.
"As Karen delves deeper into what happened in the autumn of 1984, political grudges and painful secrets reveal themselves, and it soon becomes clear... the past is far from dead."
Karen Pirie season 2 will air from Sunday 20th July 2025 on ITV1 and ITVX.
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