Criminal Record season two

Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi return as DS June Lenker and DCI Daniel Hegarty for another explosive season of Criminal Record on Apple TV+. The latest series gets off to a running start when a teenage boy is murdered at a rally by a far-right counterprotester. Also at the scene is Billy (Luther Ford), a young man who recently escaped from prison and is part of that extremist group. While Lenker believes finding Billy is the key to solving the boy’s murder, Hegarty wants to use him as an undercover asset to gather information about a potential terrorist plot and take down the group’s leader, Cosmo Thompson (Dustin Demri-Burns). What follows is an intense and utterly gripping drama that examines the ugly side of online politics.

Jumbo and Capaldi’s extraordinary performances were a major highlight of the first season, and the pair remain just as incredible here. Capaldi is still mesmerising to watch as the cynical and venomous detective, always glaring and barking orders. It’s impossible to know what’s going through his cold and calculating mind, and Capaldi relishes every second he’s onscreen. Jumbo, too, gives an equally fierce turn. Her failure to save the boy at the rally has left Lenker deeply shaken. She’s in a more vulnerable place this season, and Jumbo conveys the character’s pain and determination with a powerful conviction. While Lenker’s domestic subplot is perhaps the least interesting part of the show, Jumbo is still as formidable a presence as ever.

Demri-Burns is a fabulous addition to the cast as Thompson. His portrayal of the charismatic leader is both highly watchable and eerily accurate. Carrying himself with a gleeful swagger and menacing intensity, he spreads misinformation to his online audience via memes and racially charged rhetoric. The parallels to real-world influencers aren’t subtle, but showrunner Paul Rutman smartly weaves his social commentary into the twisting narrative.

Following the blistering opening, the brakes are put on the narrative as key characters and storylines are established. When events are set in motion, the momentum doesn’t stop as each episode adds new and exciting twists to proceedings, constantly elevating the stakes as it goes.

Criminal Record‘s second season is every bit as gritty and enthralling as its first. Despite a momentary lull in the pacing, Capaldi and Jumbo lead the charge in this exhilarating crime thriller.