If you’re a fan of a TV series, you undoubtedly want to see it last as long as possible without taking a big dip in quality. But sometimes a series’ subject matter doesn’t easily lend itself to multiple seasons, such as the expertly crafted Starz/BBC mystery drama The Missing. Yet, it was announced today that the show will indeed be coming back for Season 2. How will they do it? Tossing it all out and starting over from scratch.
That’s right, The Missing will return next year with a completely different missing person case at its center, and an all new cast will be rounded up to play the new characters. If that approach sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same anthology format taken by HBO’s True Detective and FX’s Fargo, to name a couple. I’m not quite sure if conversations about The Missing in the past ever broached the topic of extending the series in a new direction, but I’m definitely behind the idea. We all know how some shows can try to extend a story for far too long and get bungled in the process. (Yeah, you, The Killing.)
The news was put out there both by a Starz press release, as well as a teaser tag at the end of the Season 1 finale, which aired tonight in the U.K. Take a peek at the promo below. And don’t worry, there are no spoilers for anyone who hasn’t finished Season 1 yet, like me.
To be expected, Season 2 will also be written by creators Harry and Jack Williams, and the only thing it’ll have in common with the first season is it will take place over the course of two different timelines. Series rarely nail the dual-time angle with such finesse, and The Missing drew strong emotions out no matter when the scenes were taking place. I can’t wait to see how they play around with it.
For those who still haven’t caught up with The Missing, which I called one of my favorite shows of 2014, it follows the exquisite James Nesbitt as Tony Hughes, a father whose son went missing while the family was on holiday in France. Years later, he discovers a set of clues that lead him to believe his son might still be alive, and he enlists the help of retired French detective Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) to help him figure it all out. Co-star Frances O’Connor, who plays Tony’s ex-wife and the mother of the missing boy, was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role, and the series itself earned one for Best Miniseries.
The Missing will air its Season 1 finale on Starz on January 10, though it will be available On Demand and on StarzPlay.com starting December 20.
