Sugar, the twisty detective drama hailed as “one of the best neo-noir thrillers in years”, will return for a second season. Slated for release on June 19, Apple TV has given fans a first look at Colin Farrell, as he reprises the role of private eye, John Sugar, in eight brand new episodes. “Season 2 ushers in the return of Los Angeles’s iconic private detective and film connoisseur John Sugar,” teases the synopsis. “Emmy nominee Colin Farrell returns for a new case, tracking the troubled older brother of an up-and-coming local boxer as his search for his beloved missing sister continues.

Private eye John Sugar sitting in a bar © Apple TV
Private eye John Sugar will be tasked with tracking down the brother of a local boxer

“As the investigation expands into a city-wide conspiracy with sinister intentions, Sugar must reckon with himself to answer the question – how far will he go to do what’s right?” Joining Farrell, Apple TV has confirmed a number of new additions to the cast. Among them, Jin Ha, Raymond Lee, Tony Dalton, Laura Donnelly, Sasha Calle and special guest star Shea Whigham have signed on.

Back in 2024, Colin, 49, explained that he was keen to flesh out his character in further instalments. “He’s a really lovely character to inhabit, and there are places we can go with that character that I feel the first season was just the tip of the iceberg,” the A-lister told Collider. “With Sugar, I was like, ‘Okay, in the second season, we get to really get into where he comes from, what his mission is here.’”

Echoing this sentiment, showrunner Simon Kinberg told Den of Geek that he’d love to explore how Sugar – who was revealed to be an alien at the end of season one – “fits into planet Earth”.

“He was here on a mission in season one, and he was part of a community of people like him in season one. Now, he does not have a stated mission from his community, he has the mystery of wanting to figure out his family. He does not have a mystery to solve nor a larger question about the human species to solve for his own species.

Colin Farrell as John Sugar in season two© Apple TV
Apple TV has confirmed a number of new additions to the cast

“The second season would really go from, ‘Who are these people and who are we in relation to them’ to something a bit more personal, like ‘How do I find my place, my home, and my people down here?’ While the mystery for him would be more personal and we’d want to find a new mystery for him to solve as a detective, it would be an even more intimate season because he’d really be alone.”

What was season one of Sugar about?

Season one of Sugar, which premiered in 2024, focused on Sugar’s investigation into the strange disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the granddaughter of a legendary Hollywood producer. Rounding out the cast, Farrell appeared alongside Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Amy Ryan, James Cromwell, Sydney Chandler and Nate Corddry.

Upon its release, the series was generally well-received and currently holds a score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. “It sets out – and largely succeeds – in creating a neo-noir that lovingly embraces film history while putting its own twist on it,” remarked the London Evening Standard.

“Farrell’s performance has a restrained, melancholy tenderness that suffuses the series,” added the Slate. Meanwhile, CNN.com mused: “Amid a deluge of streaming content, sometimes it’s a pleasure simply to come across something that manages to make the familiar seem original.”