Baptiste Season 2 - What We Know So Far
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"Baptiste" is the European crime drama about the would-be retired French detective Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) who keeps getting pulled back into criminal investigations, which usually involve missing children.
The character of Julien Baptiste actually originated on the BBC One series "The Missing," which aired for two seasons from 2014 to 2016. In both of those seasons, the multi-lingual Baptiste was brought into help British expats whose children had gone missing in different European countries. In season 1, Baptiste looked into the disappearance of a boy who went missing in France, and in season 2 he investigated the disappearance of a British army officer's daughter in Germany. However, after "The Missing" ended, Julien Baptiste proved to be such a popular character that he received his very own spin-off series. The first season of "Baptiste" saw the detective head to Amsterdam to search for a missing 15-year-old sex worker, while recovering from brain tumor surgery, and this inaugural season of "Baptiste" aired in 2019. It is currently available for American viewers on Amazon Prime.
Ever since Season 1 ended, though, fans of "Baptiste" have been greatly anticipating the arrival of season 2. Don't worry, it's on the way — and here is everything we know about Julien Baptiste's next big case.
What is the release date for Baptiste Season 2?
The U.S. premiere for "Baptiste" will be on October 17, 2021 — keep in mind that "Baptiste" is a BBC show, and the second season has already premiered in the U.K., so those viewers are ahead of the curve. For them, "Baptiste" premiered in the U.K. on BBC One on July 18, 2021 and concluded on Aug. 22.
In the U.S., the six-episode second season will conclude on Nov. 21. All episodes will air on PBS at 10pm E.T., as part of "Masterpiece" (via PBS.org). Once "Baptiste" concludes in November, that will be it for the titular French detective. Series creator Jack Williams has said that Season 2 will be the show's final. "I think what we've had the joy of doing every year is telling big, bold stories that give him a proper journey," Williams told the Radio Times in a Q&A. "And I think we began to worry – does it become a formula? Do we suddenly make him just another cop? [...] We love this show, we love Tchéky, we've been working together a long time but it's about doing the right thing for the show and the character."
Who is in the cast of Baptiste season 2?
As with many other cop shows, "Baptiste" features the same detective as the main character, season after season — in this case, his name doubling as the title makes the focus quite clear — with each new season involving a different case to investigate. To that end, Tchéky Karyo will be reprising his role as the lead character, French detective Julien Baptiste, and Anastasia Hille will be reprising her role as Baptiste's wife, Celia. Otherwise, most of the rest of the cast will be newcomers.
Fiona Shaw of "Killing Eve" plays Emma Chambers, the British ambassador to Hungary and the other main role in Season 2. Stuart Campbell and Conrad Khan play Emma's two sons who go missing, Alex and Will. Adrian Rawlins, meanwhile, is playing Emma's husband, Richard.
Hungarian actor Miklós Béres is playing the villain of season 2, Andras Juszt. Additionally, Dorka Gryllus plays Zsófia Arslan, a Hungarian detective assigned to assist Baptiste. Gabriella Hámori plays Kamilla Agoston, a Hungarian politician connected to the case.
What is the plot of Baptiste Season 2?
"Baptiste" is a spin-off of the series "The Missing," which was about an investigation into a missing boy in France. Each season of "Baptiste" follows the retired French investigator Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) as he tackles a new case, often involving contemporary political issues, like human trafficking.
Since Season 2 of the series already aired in the U.K., the details are out there. However, if you're trying to avoid spoilers, the official plot synopsis, via PBS.org, says that the second season will follow the still-retired Julien Baptiste as he "delves into Budapest's corrupt underworld to find a British Ambassador's family who go missing on a skiing holiday in the Hungarian mountains. Ambassador Emma Chambers (Fiona Shaw) is thrust into the crosshairs of Baptiste's most complex case to date, as the detective navigates an untrustworthy police force and international media interest as he hunts for her husband and two sons."
Without spoiling too much, Baptiste's investigation uncovers that the kidnapping is part of a plot by Hungarian right-wing terrorists, who are violently opposed to immigration in Europe. Clearly, just as Baptiste himself dives into what may very well be the biggest (and perhaps darkest) case of his career, this season — as it finally closes out the detective's story — will be diving into hot button social issues.