In a surprising turn of events for anyone who watched the first season, Netflix’s The Sinner is coming back for another one.
The first series of the show, which isn’t about Paul “The Sinnerman” Sinha off The Chase but would be equally good if it was, looked at the events surrounding a grisly murder performed in public by a deeply religious woman who then has no recollection of it occurring. Jessica Biel got rave reviews for her performance as Cora Tannetti, as did Bill Pullman as the detective investigating the case.
In its original home on the USA Network, it became 2017’s highest-rated new show on cable, and was nominated for multiple Golden Globes. The Guardian called it “satisfying and horrible”, admiring how “a more traditional show would turn the relationship between [Biel] and Pullman into a cat and mouse, but that isn’t really the case here. The mouse is splayed out on the floor begging to be eaten and the cat can’t understand why.”
Jessica Biel as Cora Tannetti in season one, not having a great day
Biel might not be appearing in season two - no spoilers for season one, but it’s a complete story, based on a novel by German writer Petra Hammesfahr, and doesn’t leave a lot of threads hanging - but is staying on as an executive producer. It looks as though when it comes back it’ll follow Pullman’s Detective Harry Ambrose as he investigates another case.
SpoilerTV.com has this synopsis for season two:
In the wake of the Cora Tannetti case, Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) is called back to his hometown in distant rural New York to assess a disturbing new crime: an 11-year-old boy’s horrific double-homicide & his seemingly inexplicable motive.
As Ambrose comes to realize there’s nothing ordinary about the boy or where he came from, his investigation leads him straight into the hidden darkness of his hometown and pitting him against those who’ll stop at nothing to protect its secrets.
Tannetti and her husband (Christopher Abbott) right before the hideous event that kicks the show off
That’s cool because, after all, what’s more disturbing than America’s sweetheart Jessica Biel murdering someone? A child murdering two people.
Entertainment, eh? It’s a funny ol’ game.
