After the jaw-dropping twist in its first season, Mark Protasevich’s “Sugar” returns for a second season on Apple TV+, once again starring Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell in the titular role. When we last saw Sugar, he had decided to stay on Earth to track down Henry.
Season 2 takes a different approach, starting with an episode titled “Home Away from Home.” While most television shows spend their second seasons trying to recreate the magic of the first, “Sugar” takes a more daring route by reinventing itself.
Apple TV+’s noir mystery returns with a fresh case, a new supporting cast, and a renewed sense of purpose. The constant throughout remains Colin Farrell, whose portrayal of private investigator John Sugar remains the show’s secret weapon. In Season 2, Sugar is still searching for answers about his missing sister while investigating the disappearance of the older brother of a rising Los Angeles boxer. What begins as another missing-person case soon evolves into a sprawling conspiracy, forcing Sugar to examine the limits of his own moral code.
One of the smartest decisions made by showrunner Sam Catlin is surrounding Farrell with an almost entirely new ensemble. New additions include Jin Ha, Raymond Lee, Tony Dalton, Laura Donnelly, Sasha Calle, and guest star Shea Whigham. Rather than feeling like replacements for Season 1 favorites, they help create the sense that Sugar is entering a completely different chapter of his life.
Dalton, fresh off his scene-stealing work in “Better Call Saul,” brings an unpredictable edge to the season, while Donnelly’s character appears refreshingly resistant to Sugar’s natural charm. Jin Ha’s connection to the central mystery adds emotional urgency to the investigation from the outset.
What continues to set “Sugar” apart from countless detective dramas is its atmosphere. Los Angeles feels haunted, romantic, and dangerous all at once. The series remains deeply rooted in classic noir storytelling, yet it never abandons the genre-bending identity that made the first season so memorable. Farrell’s performance remains exceptional; in lesser hands, John Sugar could come across as just another tortured detective. Instead, Farrell portrays him as empathetic, hopeful, and quietly human. Even when the story delves into darker territory, he keeps the audience emotionally invested.
If Season 1 was about revealing what “Sugar” truly is, Season 2 appears to focus on exploring what that revelation means. The mystery is compelling, the new cast fits seamlessly into the world, and the show’s confidence has only grown. For viewers seeking another standard detective drama, “Sugar” remains anything but conventional. That’s precisely what makes it one of Apple TV+’s most intriguing series.
Grade: B+
Season two of “Sugar” premieres on June 19th and runs for eight episodes, concluding with the finale on August 7th.
One wonderful aspect of supporting physical media is that I never run short of albums to choose from when deciding what to cover for Second Listen Sunday. Often, I’ll head to the man cave, browse through my CD collection, and an album will pop out at me. This week’s pick is T-Pain’s fourth album, “Revolver.”
One of my favorite singers, Mr. Eric Roberson, is performing this weekend at America’s legendary music venue, The Birchmere. To show Eric some love, I want to highlight something longtime R&B fans have always known: he’s had remarkable songwriting talent.
It’s been nearly a decade since Daley released a full-length album, but the British soul singer hasn’t lost the sound that made me a fan in the first place. His latest project, Strange Nature, finds the Manchester native returning with ten tracks of smooth R&B while sounding older, wiser, and comfortable with where his music fits in today’s landscape.