Criminal Record Season 2 takes a bold turn, shifting from the cold case format of the debut season to something far more urgent and politically charged.
Created by Paul Rutman, Criminal Record is a powerful, character-driven thriller set in the heart of contemporary London. The series touches on issues of race, institutional failure, and the relentless quest for truth within a deeply flawed system.
Season 1 stars Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo, and consists of eight episodes. It premiered on Apple TV+ on January 10, 2024 and quickly earned a loyal following for its razor-sharp writing, layered characters, and morally complex storytelling.
| Detail | Information |
| Show Title | Criminal Record |
| Season | 2 |
| Created By | Paul Rutman |
| Network/Streamer | Apple TV+ |
| Premiere Date | April 22, 2026 |
| Season Finale | June 10, 2026 |
| Total Episodes | 8 |
| Release Schedule | Weekly (Wednesdays) |
| Episode Drop Time | 12:00 AM PT / 3:00 AM ET |
| Lead Stars | Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo |
| Production Companies | Tod Productions, STV Studios |
| Filming Location | London, UK (The Wharf Studios + Central London) |
| Production Wrapped | June 20, 2025 |
| Rotten Tomatoes (S2) | 100% (Critics) |
| Rotten Tomatoes (S1) | 90% (Critics) |
A Quick Recap of Season 1
Peter Capaldi plays Doctor Who and Cush Jumbo plays characters from The Good Wife, and the show follows them as a pair of detectives — one very seasoned and the other a rookie just getting started with her career in law enforcement. Season 1 was a slow-burn cat-and-mouse game centered on whether a historic murder conviction was just. June Lenker, driven by a nagging sense of injustice, relentlessly pursued the truth even when it meant going up against the formidable Daniel Hegarty.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 50 critics’ reviews of Season 1 are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10, with the website’s critics consensus reading that the formidable pairing of Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi provides a scintillating foundation for the show.
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Criminal Record Season 2 Premise and Plot
Season 2 takes a bold turn, shifting from the cold case format of the debut season to something far more urgent and politically charged.
When a young man is stabbed to death at a political rally, rival police officers June Lenker and Jumbo and Daniel Hegarty and Capaldi are forced into an uneasy alliance. But what starts as a hunt for a murderer escalates into an undercover operation to foil a far-right bomb plot in the heart of London.
June is the senior officer on the scene when a political rally is attacked by far-right counter-protesters. The violent clash leaves a young man dead and she, consumed with guilt, becomes desperate to bring the unknown killer to justice. Her best hope lies with Daniel Hegarty – now a key figure in the shadowy world of police intelligence. He may have the answers she needs, but getting his help will require her to accept a dangerous bargain.
As described by Peter Capaldi himself in an interview with TV Fanatic: “The big difference between season one and season two is season two is a live case. Season one was digging into the past. Season two is an evolving threat that has to be faced down by Hegarty and June.”
Set in London and created by BAFTA nominee Paul Rutman, the series continues its focus on the instability of truth within modern policing, where every decision carries political and moral weight.
Criminal Record Cast: Returning and New Faces
Returning Cast
| Actor | Character |
| Peter Capaldi | DCI Daniel Hegarty |
| Cush Jumbo | DS June Lenker |
| Shaun Dooley | DS Kim Cardwell |
| Stephen Campbell Moore | Leo Hanratty |
| Charlie Creed-Miles | DS Tony Gilfoyle |
Along with Capaldi and Jumbo, returning cast members for Season 2 include Shaun Dooley (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim), Stephen Campbell Moore (War of the Worlds), and Charlie Creed-Miles (Peaky Blinders).
New Cast Members
New cast includes Dustin Demri-Burns as Cosmo Thompson, Luca Pasqualino as JP, Luther Ford as Billy Fielding, Lyndsey Marshal as Ivy Mullins, and Peter Sullivan.
The standout new addition among critics has been Dustin Demri-Burns, who plays Cosmo Thompson, the leader of a far-right gang. Demri-Burns’s ability to capture this outlandish personality and make you genuinely despise the character has been described as downright fantastic, with much credit also going to the writing for how the character is developed.
The Creative Team
The series is produced for Apple TV by Tod Productions and STV Studios. The directors for Season 2 are Ben A. Williams and Joelle Mae David, with Paul Rutman serving as writer and executive producer. BAFTA Scotland Award winner Elaine Collins joins Chris Sussman as executive producer for Season 2, alongside Rutman, Capaldi, and Jumbo.
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Episode Guide: Season 2 Full Schedule
Like Season 1, Criminal Record Season 2 has an episodic release every week for a total of eight episodes. The final episode will be available to stream on June 10, 2026. Each episode is expected to be available at 12:00 am PT (3:00 am ET), while all viewers globally receive the episode at the same time according to their respective time zones.
| Episode No. | Episode Title | Release Date |
| Episode 1 | Is It Him? | April 22, 2026 |
| Episode 2 | Firestarters | April 29, 2026 |
| Episode 3 | Snakes and Ladders | May 6, 2026 |
| Episode 4 | Safe | May 13, 2026 |
| Episode 5 | Duty of Care | May 20, 2026 |
| Episode 6 | When the Music Stops | May 27, 2026 |
| Episode 7 | Going Down | June 3, 2026 |
| Episode 8 | Nobody Dies | June 10, 2026 |
Episode 1 sees June drawn back into Hegarty’s world as they begin searching for a suspected killer. In Episode 2, “Firestarters,” Hegarty pushes forward with an undercover plan while June’s personal life begins to fall apart.
Where to Watch Criminal Record Season 2
Criminal Record Season 2 is exclusively available on Apple TV+. Viewers will need an active Apple TV subscription to watch the series. The platform offers several plans for viewers in the USA, including $12.99 per month or $99.99 per year. It is also part of the Apple One bundle, which starts at $19.95 per month and includes other Apple services. New users can get a 7-day free trial, and eligible Apple device purchases come with a three-month free subscription. Criminal Record Season 1 is also available on Apple TV, so fans can catch up before moving on to the new season.
Apple TV+ Subscription Plans (USA)
| Plan | Price |
| Monthly Subscription | $12.99/month |
| Annual Subscription | $99.99/year |
| Apple One Bundle (starts at) | $19.95/month |
| Free Trial (new users) | 7 days |
| New Apple Device Offer | 3 months free |
Apple TV+ is available on a wide range of devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and via web browser at tv.apple.com. For viewers outside the US, availability and pricing may vary by region, but the show is released globally simultaneously.
Criminal Record Season 2 Filming Locations
Filming for the second season took place at The Wharf Studios in London for soundstage filming, along with central London filming locations. The shoot took 22 weeks and wrapped on June 20, 2025.
The show filmed at The Wharf Studios and across central London locations – a logistically heavy shoot that needed time to complete properly. True to the spirit of the series, London itself serves almost as a character, its streets, corridors of power, and social tensions bleeding into every frame.
Critical Reception: How is Season 2 being received?
The critical response to Season 2 has been extraordinary. Season 2 is holding a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers are appreciative of how Season 2 has moved beyond the slow-burn mystery of its debut for a more expansive story in the new episodes. Critics have also praised the performances of the show’s lead cast in addition to the writing.
From the Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus: if season one was about looking inward at systemic failures, Criminal Record’s second season turns that focus outward, blurring moral lines as the leads face a series of increasingly impossible choices. Creator Paul Rutman and his team perfectly convey how the devil gets you to willingly hand over your soul, bit by bit.
What makes season 2 different from season 1?
Where Season 1 was a deeply intimate slow burn focused on uncovering whether justice had been served in an old case, Season 2 dramatically expands the canvas. The story pivots from retrospective detective work to a live, ticking-clock threat – a far-right extremist plot with real-world resonance. The relationship between June and Hegarty also shifts significantly; rather than being adversaries circling each other, they are now compelled to trust one another in a situation where neither fully can.
Capaldi, in the shoes of Hegarty, has one wild arc. There are moments in the final episode that will have your jaw on the floor. Meanwhile, Cush Jumbo once again carries an enormous emotional weight as a woman navigating institutional pressure, personal guilt, and moral compromise with tremendous grace.
The season leans hard into the corruption angle and makes you question everything about the justice system.
Should You Watch Criminal Record series?
If you enjoy intelligent, character-driven British crime drama that takes its themes seriously – policing, race, political extremism, institutional power, then Criminal Record is essential viewing. Season 2 not only builds on everything that worked in Season 1 but arguably surpasses it. The performances are career-best territory, the writing is precise, and the story is ripped with urgency that keeps you gripped from episode to episode.
Even if you haven’t seen Season 1, it is worth catching up. Criminal Record Season 2 can be watched for free using the Apple TV free trial if you are a new subscriber, making it an easy entry point with no financial commitment upfront.
