Is 'Mare of Easttown' Season 2 Happening? What We Know So Far
From the moment Mare of Easttown wrapped in 2021, fans of the limited series were hoping it would expand beyond its originally intended scope to include a Season 2. The bigwigs at HBO seemed to be holding out hope of their own, too. Just before the 71st Emmys, at which stars Kate Winslet, Evan Peters and Julianne Nicholson all won acting awards for the series, HBO network chief Casey Bloys told Variety that creator Brad Ingelsby, Winslet and the producers were "all talking" about the possibility of a Season 2. "I think we’ll hear from them in a couple of weeks if they think that it’s a story worth telling, and they’re excited by," he said. "I’m excited to hear and see what they have to say.”
Alas, those conversations didn't go very far at the time. But now, the chatter is back.
Speaking to Variety for a cover story on Winslet, HBO’s head of drama Francesca Orsi said in June 2024 that even though the 2021 discussions ultimately felt "too soon," they're now underway again. "While there’s nothing in the works, we are having early discussions about whether it might be time to start thinking of building something," she said. "We might be willing to figure out with Mare, years later, picking her up—not on the heels of where she ended, but there have been years for the character that have passed. Who is she now?”
It certainly sounds like there's potential for Mare of Easttown Season 2. Keep reading to find out everything we know so far.
Will there be a Mare of Easttown Season 2?
Mare of Easttown has not officially been renewed for Season 2, but HBO's head of drama told Variety in June 2024 that discussions are underway.
Ingelsby previously expressed interest in a second season, telling Parade after Season 1 aired that a follow-up could work given that Mare is a detective. "You have her job that could easily allow another case," he said. "Now, what that case is, how it’s exciting, and how you can have a compelling mystery that involves people in the town—I just don’t know what this is right now.”
"I would love nothing more than to write Mare, Helen, Siobhan and Lori again," he added. "But I also want to make sure that if I ever went down that road, that we had a story we were confident was really good and really emotional, and I haven’t come up with that story yet. I feel like Season 1 was such a personal, emotional journey into Mare’s life, so it comes down to what could we give Mare to deal with personally that doesn’t feel like we’re repeating the same issues she dealt with in the first season. I just don’t know when it would be, but never say never!"
What has Kate Winslet said about Mare of Easttown Season 2?
In 2022, Winslet expressed some concern over whether a second season of the show could ever top the first. "The question is, do you quit while you’re ahead? Do you hold your head high and say, ‘Look at what we did, I’m so proud of that,’ and just walk away? Or do we go for it again?” she told the podcast Happy Sad Confused.
In a March 2024 interview with Screenrant, she was a little less pointed. “At the moment, hand on heart, I have not had an active conversation with anyone at HBO about a possible Season 2 for quite a while," she said. "That doesn’t necessarily mean anything. But it does definitely mean I’m not lying. Like, it hasn’t come up.”
Just a few months later, in a cover story for Variety, she said she would "probably" be willing to play the character again, but then asked the reporter to, point blank, "move on."
Related: We Need to Talk About Kate Winslet’s Delco Accent in Mare of Easttown
When did Mare of Easttown premiere?
Mare of Easttown's premiered April 18, 2021. Unlike many new shows, it kept to an old-fashioned rollout schedule, dropping just one new episode of the series every week.
How many episodes are in Mare of Easttown?
Mare of Easttown's first season featured 7 episodes. At this point, the show does not have any additional episodes underway.
Who’s in the cast of Mare of Easttown Season 2?
It's impossible to say, as a second season has not yet been greenlit. But here's a refresher on who we saw in the original run of the series.
Kate Winslet as Mare Sheehan
The Oscar, Emmy and Grammy-winning British actress became a breakout film star with her leading role in Titanic opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. Her subsequent projects include movies like The Reader, Revolutionary Road, The Holiday and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. She previously starred in another highly acclaimed HBO miniseries, Mildred Pierce, and most recently returned to the network to star in The Regime.
Jean Smart as Helen Fahey
Seattle native Jean Smart is currently wowing audiences in the critically lauded HBO series Hacks. She got her start in 1975 performing in regional theater throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 1985, she was cast in the co-starring role of Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the comedy series Designing Women, a role she played for five seasons. She's also known for her role on the hit TV series Frasier (opposite Kelsey Grammer) as Lana Gardner, an old high-school classmate that both Frasier and Niles had crushes on during high school.
Related: Jean Smart Says Actors Should Be 'Grateful' for Their Roles
Guy Pearce as Richard Ryan
Guy Pearce started his career with a four-year stint as Mike Young on the popular Aussie soap Neighbours in the mid-80s. After his first film at age 20, Pearce won the role of an outrageous drag queen in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994. His other memorable projects include L.A. Confidential, The Hurt Locker, The King’s Speech and Mildred Pierce, opposite longtime pal Winslet.
Julianne Nicholson as Lori Ross
Julianne Nicholson is best known for her main and supporting roles in multiple indie and dramatic films and TV series. The former model played NYPD Detective Megan Wheeler on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and has had memorable roles in Ally McBeal, Boardwalk Empire, The Outsider and Masters of Sex.
Angourie Rice as Siobhan Sheehan
At 23, Angourie Rice has quite the resumé for such a young actress. She most recently played the lead role in the Mean Girls musical movie as well as a main part opposite Jennifer Garner in The Last Thing He Told Me. She's also known for her roles in These Final Hours and The Nice Guys, opposite Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, and for her portrayal of Betty Brant in the most recent round of Spider-Man movies.
Related: We Finally Know Who the Murderer Is on Mare of Easttown (Warning: Spoilers!)
Who will not return to the cast of Mare of Eastown for Season 2?
Evan Peters as Detective Colin Zabel
Sadly, we know that Evan Peters will not be back as Detective Colin Zabel, as his character was killed in Season 1.
Born and raised in the St. Louis suburbs, Peters is best known for his multiple roles on the FX anthology series American Horror Story, as Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver in the X-Men film series and for playing serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Was Mare of Easttown based on a book?
Surprisingly, no! Unlike other recent, female-led HBO shows like The Undoing, Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects, Mare of Easttown came from an original screenplay and was not based on any book.
Where was Mare of Easttown filmed?
While Easttown is a fictional place, filming for the series took place in several real-life towns in the greater Philadelphia area, including Wallingford, Coatesville, Chadds Ford, Phoenixville and Springfield.
How did Season 1 of Mare of Easttown end?
As it turned out, John Ross (Joe Tippett), who fathered Erin's son D.J., did not shoot Erin, despite his early confession in the finale that he did. His 13-year-old son Ryan (Cameron Mann), who learned of his father's affair, accidentally killed Erin in an attempt to scare her.
Ryan's mother—Mare's best friend, Lori—who knew about her son's actions and was devastated by her friend's decision to take her son in despite her husband's willingness to take the fall for their child.
What will happen in Mare of Easttown Season 2?
Mare of Easttown Season 2 has not yet been greenlit, but should HBO and creator Brad Ingelsby move forward with it, it sounds like there will be an entirely new case as well as a time jump. The show will not pick up where Season 1 left off.
How to watch Mare of Easttown
All 7 episodes of the first season of Mare of Easttown are currently available to stream on HBO Max.
