One Of Us Is Lying Season 2 - What We Know So Far
When Peacock's "One of Us Is Lying" premiered in the fall of 2021, the series came out of nowhere to combine the best compelling traits of shows like "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Pretty Little Liars." Based on the novel by Karen M. McManus, the first season explored a group of high school teens who all meet up in after-school detention where one of the students, Simon (Mark McKenna), suddenly dies. The circumstances surrounding his death are skeptical, which leads to an investigation. The show set a dark tone from the beginning, as we come to learn that each student present at Simon's death had good reason to want to hurt him based on the cruel online gossip forum he ran that spread rumors about all of them.
One of the unique ways in which Season 1 pulled in the viewer was through inventive writing and directing, which only focused on pertinent information and disregarded the filler that bogged down far too many murder mysteries. The series was also insightful and captivating in how it explored the social dynamics of its diverse cast. On Rotten Tomatoes, the debut season scored an impressive 89% on the Tomatometer based on nine critic reviews. "One of Us Is Lying" was renewed for Season 2 back in January 2022, per Variety, and here is everything we know about the sophomore season so far.
When does Season 2 of One of Us Is Lying premiere?
Season 1 of "One of Us Is Lying" premiered on Peacock on October 7, 2021. Unlike other original series from the network, which saw entire seasons released at once on the platform when NBC's official streaming service launched in 2020, this show's first eight episodes were dropped in increments over three dates. So far, it is unknown how many episodes Season 2 will contain, but based on the debut season, we can at least expect to see eight unless more installments are needed to round out the story of the new season.
In keeping with an October release date tradition, the second season of "One of Us Is Lying" is set to premiere on Peacock on October 20, 2022 (per TVLine). It is not yet known if all the episodes will be available to watch immediately or if the previous intermittent release order will be followed. As originally reported by Cosmopolitan, the series will also be available for international viewers outside of the U.S. on Netflix likely a few months after the season finale of each season.
What could happen in One of Us Is Lying Season 2?
The ending of Season 1 gave viewers several details surrounding the situations at the time of Simon's death. Once the group managed to get rid of Jake (Barrett Carnahan) who used the mystery of Simon's death for his own nefarious purposes, we are left with the arrival of an ominous text message from "Simon Says," letting the core group know that this person knows they killed Jake even though the media is reporting him as a teenage runaway. Although no details have been released about the plotlines for Season 2, we can assume that an entirely new mystery with a possible blackmail angle will engulf everyone brought together by Simon's investigation.
But thanks to the reception of Season 1, those behind the show are promising more intrigue. In a statement to Variety, Lisa Katz, NBCUniversal's president of scripted content for television and streaming commented, "We are thrilled that the compelling and binge-worthy first season of 'One of Us Is Lying' resonated so strongly with our YA audience. The fandom behind the series is incredibly passionate and we can't wait to deliver more twists and turns that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats."
Showrunner Erica Saleh added, "We are so happy with the reception of Season 1, and are beyond thrilled that we get to continue our story in Season 2. We can't wait to bring more mystery to the halls of Bayview High!" This definitely sounds promising.
Who is the showrunner for Season 2 of One of Us Is Lying?
With the success of the first Season, and the announcement of another installment, series developer Erica Saleh was announced as the new showrunner replacing Darío Madrona (via Deadline). Saleh has been a screenwriter and producer since 2017, getting her start penning episodes for such TV series as "Channel Zero," "Evil," and "Instinct," according to IMDb.
In an interview with the Writer's Guild of America, East's "On Writing" podcast, the showrunner was asked about how she and her writers mapped out the growth of the characters and replied, "I think that's really the project of the season, you know, knock on wood, the project of the series, is really about showing these kids who start the show really playing the parts that other people prescribed for them. Whether that's their parents, or whether that's social media or their friend groups, or what they've seen on TV or movies, and I do think to an extent, we all do that right, we are all sort of performing these versions of ourselves but often we are performing these versions of ourselves we think the world wants to see."
Saleh's deep understanding of the themes the author captured in the book memorably unfolded around the mystery of Season 1. Her work as showrunner for the upcoming season should ensure that more nuances and character arcs are richly explored in conjunction with the newest mystery.
Who is starring in One of Us Is Lying Season 2?
We can expect to see the return of the primary cast from first season when Season 2 premieres. This will include Annalisa Cochrane as Addy, Chibuikem Uche as Cooper, Marianly Tejada as Bronwyn, Cooper van Grootel as Nate, Jessica McLeod as Janae, and Melissa Collazo as Maeve. McKenna and Barrett Carnahan who played Jake are both deceased in the storyline, but in the world of TV, you never know what may happen. TVLine also confirmed that Alimi Ballard (Kevin), and Sara Thompson (Vanessa) will return in recurring roles.
The major casting news so far for Season 2 (per Deadline) is the announcement of two new recurring characters to be played by Joe Witkowski and Doralynn Mui. Witkowski will play Jake's brother who returns to attend Bayview High after his brother's presumed disappearance, which he is not completely convinced of. Mui will star as Fiona, also new to the high school, and will cause problems between Bronwyn and Nate.
With the addition of new characters, a new showrunner, and another potentially life-changing event hanging over the students, Season 2 of "One of Us Is Lying" sounds as thrilling and addictive as ever.