Yes, Criminal Record Season 2 is officially confirmed and premiering on April 22, 2026 on Apple TV+. The renewal was formally announced on August 22, 2024, after early reports in February of that year signaled a second run was already in development. The eight-episode season will drop weekly every Wednesday, wrapping with the finale on June 10, 2026. Both Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo are back, and production wrapped in London on June 20, 2025 after a 22-week shoot.
Waiting this long for a confirmed date was frustrating, but the silence was a production reality, not a cancellation signal. The show filmed at The Wharf Studios and across central London locations, a logistically heavy shoot that needed time to complete properly. Now that Apple TV+ has pulled back the curtain, everything fans have been asking about has solid, sourced answers. Here is everything worth knowing before April.
When Does Criminal Record Season 2 Premiere?
Criminal Record Season 2 premieres on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, exclusively on Apple TV+. Episodes release weekly on Wednesdays, with the season finale landing on June 10, 2026. New episodes typically drop at midnight ET / 9 PM PT. The season runs eight episodes total, matching the structure of the first season exactly. That weekly cadence is intentional, it rewards engagement and keeps the thriller’s tension alive between episodes rather than burning through it in a single weekend binge.
What Is the Season 2 Plot About?
Season 2 pivots away from the wrongful conviction case that drove Season 1 and centers on a far-right political rally attack. A young man is stabbed to death in the chaos, and DS June Lenker (Cush Jumbo), now a senior officer, is consumed with guilt after being on scene. Her only real lead sits with DCI Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi), who has moved into the murky world of police intelligence. To get his help, she has to accept a dangerous bargain. What begins as a murder investigation escalates into a race to stop a far-right bomb plot at the heart of London.
Who Is Returning for Season 2?
Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo are both back as Hegarty and Lenker, and both serve as executive producers on the series. Returning alongside them are Shaun Dooley (known from Broadchurch), Stephen Campbell Moore (Masters of the Air), and Charlie Creed-Miles (Giri/Haji). Characters like Errol Mathis and Sonya Singh are unlikely to return since their arcs concluded definitively in Season 1. What shifts noticeably is the dynamic between Hegarty and Lenker. She is no longer the junior detective she was in Season 1, and that power realignment is central to the season’s tension.
Who Are the New Cast Members in Season 2?
Five new actors join the season, each with strong genre credentials. Dustin Demri-Burns, recognized for his work in Slow Horses, joins alongside Luca Pasqualino (Shadow and Bone), Luther Ford (The Crown), Lyndsey Marshall (Rome and Inside Man), and Peter Sullivan (The Borgias). The new additions were announced officially on January 28, 2026 by Apple TV+. The blend of procedural veterans and prestige drama regulars fits the show’s track record of casting with real intention rather than filling background roles.
Who Directs and Produces Season 2?
Season 2 is directed by Ben A. Williams and Joelle Mae David, replacing Season 1 directors Jim Loach and Shaun James Grant. Creator Paul Rutman, who also wrote the BAFTA-nominated series Vera, returns as writer and executive producer. The series is produced by Tod Productions and STV Studios, the same producing partnership behind Season 1. BAFTA Scotland Award winner Elaine Collins also executive produces. That continuity on the producing side, even with a directorial change, is one reason the tone is expected to stay consistent with what made Season 1 compelling.
How Many Episodes Does Season 2 Have?
Season 2 has eight episodes, identical to Season 1 in episode count. The full schedule runs from April 22 through June 10, 2026, with one episode per week every Wednesday. That tight eight-episode format is part of what gives the show its density. Paul Rutman is not building in filler, every episode carries plot weight, which is part of why Season 1 earned a 74 Metascore. British crime dramas that stick to this structure tend to age better than bloated American equivalents.
Where Can You Watch Criminal Record Season 2?
Criminal Record Season 2 streams exclusively on Apple TV+. It is not available on Netflix, Max, or any other platform at launch. Apple TV+ is available across iPhones, iPads, Apple TV hardware, smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, and via the web at tv.apple.com. An Apple TV+ subscription is required. There is no confirmed simultaneous broadcast deal in the UK or elsewhere at this time, though the series was co-produced with STV Studios, which has a UK broadcasting history worth watching for regional streaming announcements closer to the premiere date.
What Happened at the End of Season 1?
Season 1 ended with Errol Mathis (Tom Moutchi) being freed after it was confirmed he was wrongfully convicted of murdering his girlfriend. The real killer was revealed to be Stefan Ash (Paul Thornley), an informant who Hegarty had actively protected to preserve his own career. That final scene flips the dynamic of the entire season, Hegarty is exposed as someone who let an innocent man rot in prison. Season 2 builds directly from that moral wreckage, forcing Lenker to work alongside a man she now knows crossed a line most officers never come close to.
Is There a Season 2 Trailer?
Apple TV+ released a first-look image package alongside the premiere date announcement on January 28, 2026, but a full trailer had not yet dropped publicly at that point. Given the April 22 premiere, a proper trailer is expected in March or early April 2026. Apple typically drops trailers four to six weeks before a premiere for its mid-tier shows. The promotional stills released show Jumbo and Capaldi in tenser, more confrontational body language than the early Season 1 materials, which lines up with the shift in their characters’ power balance.
Final Word on Criminal Record Season 2
What makes Criminal Record worth following closely is that it takes the procedural format seriously without hiding behind it. Paul Rutman built Season 1 around institutional corruption, race, and moral compromise in British policing, topics that still feel urgent. Season 2 adds the dimension of far-right extremism and undercover operations, which is territory British crime drama has handled well historically but rarely with this cast. Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo are both executive producers now, which typically signals real creative investment in where the story goes, not just acting hires showing up for a paycheck. April 22 is the date to mark.
