Will there be a Payback season 2? News and speculation on ITV drama
The creator has teased the "potential" for more.
The final episode of Payback goes out on ITV1 tonight (Wednesday 8th November), revealing the fate of accountant Lexie Noble (Morven Christie), who has spent weeks under unimaginable pressure from fearsome crime boss Cal Morris (Peter Mullan).
She is tasked with tracing an enormous sum of money that went missing after her husband, Jared – a fellow accountant in cahoots with Cal – was murdered in a seemingly random attack (which turned out to be anything but).
It was up to Lexie to resolve the situation and salvage a future for her family in the process, with events reaching a satisfying conclusion on tonight's episode. (For more on that, check out our explanation of the Payback ending.)
Now, though, fans of the series are left to wonder whether Payback will return, with comments from the creator suggesting that there is scope for a continuation.
Here's what we know so far about the future of ITV drama Payback.
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*Warning: spoilers for Payback season 1*
Will there be a Payback season 2?
ITV is yet to confirm whether Payback will return for a second season, but creator Debbie O'Malley has made it known that she would like to continue her suspenseful crime saga.
At a press event marking the series launch, she was asked if there were any storylines she couldn't quite squeeze into these initial six episodes.
"I'm hoping we might get to come back so I'm going to keep that to myself," replied O'Malley. "We created a very rich world and a web of very interesting relationships on either side of the law... I think there's always potential."
Payback does benefit from the involvement of executive producer Jed Mercurio – best known as the mind behind Line of Duty – whose production company successfully launched Trigger Point for ITV last year.
When could a potential Payback season 2 be released?
If Payback were to be renewed for a second season, it's very possible we could see it on our screens approximately one year from now – roughly autumn 2024.
However, that's just speculation for the time being. We'll update this page if and when firm details are announced.
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Payback season 2 cast: Who could return if the show is renewed?
If Payback were to be renewed for a second season, we could see the return of several characters from the first – although perhaps not Morven Christie, as her character's arc seemed to have wrapped up nicely.
Rather, this is the type of series that could lend itself to an anthology approach, with the crime unit led by DCI Adam Guthrie (Derek Riddell) and DC Jibran Khan (Prasanna Puwanarajah) instead taking on other financial cases.
Here's a reminder of the Payback season 1 cast, some of whom could reprise their roles:
- Morven Christie plays Lexie Noble
- Peter Mullan plays Cal Morris
- Prasanna Puwanarajah plays DC Jibran Khan
- Derek Riddle plays DCI Adam Guthrie
- Steven Mackintosh plays Malky Roberts
- Eileen Duffy plays Doris Szabo
- Jack Greenlees plays Aaron Morris
- Andi Osho plays DI Jean Royce
- Steven Miller plays DS Rob Livingston
- Henry Pettigrew plays Rufus Hayes
- Julie Graham plays Connie Morris
- Grace Chilton plays DC Alice Hardy
What could happen in a potential Payback season 2?
The first season of Payback brought the story of Lexie Noble to a neat conclusion, allowing the grieving wife to start a new life with her surviving family and a hefty supply of cash.
Although the legality of the resolution was dubious, the outcome felt earned after the enormous trauma she had endured – hence why DC Jibran Khan allowed her to flee and disposed of the last remaining evidence.
If the writers wanted to explore Lexie further, they could drag her back into the murky world of organised crime by having fellow officers catch on to DC Khan's intervention.
However, that would seem a little cruel given everything that's already taken place, so we predict that the financial crime unit would instead turn its gaze to an entirely different case.
Is there a Payback season 2 trailer?
Not yet! But we'll update this page if any new footage arrives.
Payback airs Wednesdays at 9pm on ITV1. Stream all episodes on ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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