ITV has renewed the thriller series ‘Red Eye‘ for a 2nd Season for ITV1 and ITVX the UK broadcaster has announced, after season one drew audiences in excess of 8 million viewers.
Jing Lusi will return as DS Hana Li with a new conspiracy to solve in the high-octane world. Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore also reprise their roles as Head of MI5 Madeline Delaney and journalist Jess Li, with news on further guest casting available closer to filming, commencing next year.
Season one of the drama starred Richard Armitage as a doctor returning to the UK from a medical conference in Beijing, only to find himself arrested at Heathrow for the murder of a woman who was in the car he crashed. Despite his protests that he was driving alone, Nolan is sent back China to face charges, escorted by DS Li. However, when people start dying on the plane, Li begins to suspect foul play, and Nolan might actually be telling the truth.
You’ll notice one name not mentioned as returning is Armitage, which makes sense given he was the accused in season one. Rather like ‘Line of Duty’, I suspect this is one of those series which will have a different guest lead actor as the accused each season, whilst the rest of the cast stay the same.
Written and created by Peter A Dowling (Black and Blue, Flightplan), the series is produced by Wales-based independent production company Bad Wolf, founded by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, who are the producers of Doctor Who, Industry, The Winter King, His Dark Materials, I Hate Suzie, and A Discovery of Witches.
Since its launch on 21 April on ITV1 and ITVX, the first episode has been watched by 8.3 million viewers across all devices, making it the fourth-highest new drama title across all channels and platforms to break 8 million in the first half of this year. 8.3 million is the official 28-day consolidated figure.
“I am so delighted to see the success of Red Eye,” commented ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill. “It’s incredible to get an audience of over 8 million and a huge thank you to everyone involved for making such a brilliant and addictive thriller. I can’t wait for audiences to see where Pete takes series 2. It’s another exciting ride!”
The episodes were all made available to stream on ITVX ahead of the linear broadcast at 9pm on Sundays. And it proved to be addictive viewing; 93% of the viewers watching this way had clicked into all 6 episodes within a week. The news of Red Eye’s recommission comes as the series hits 29.3m million streams on ITVX to date.
“We’re thrilled to be embarking on another high-octane ride with Peter A Dowling, Polly Hill and her team at ITV,” add Executive Producers Julie Gardner and Lachlan MacKinnon. “We’re beyond grateful to the audience who embraced all the twists and turns of series 1 with such enthusiasm. Expect more thrills and spills to follow.”
Award-winning producer Julie Gardner (I Hate Suzie, Doctor Who) will executive produce the new series alongside Lachlan MacKinnon (Industry, A Discovery of Witches). Red Eye was initially developed by Bad Wolf’s Director of Content, Dan McCulloch (His Dark Materials, Endeavour). Sony Pictures Television will be responsible for the international distribution of the second season. It was announced in August 2024 that the first season has broadcast in over 120 territories worldwide.
‘Red Eye‘ Season 2 does not have a premiere date yet but will air on ITVX and ITV1. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
