Ellis season 2: Release date speculation and latest news

Both Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower will be reprising their lead roles as DCI Ellis and DS Harper respectively, set to take on a variety of new cases throughout towns in the north of England.

On the announcement of the show's renewal, Clarke said: "I am thrilled to return as DCI Ellis. The response to the first series was overwhelming, and I am excited to continue this journey with such a talented team, especially with the wonderful Andrew Gower by my side.

"Ellis is a character who resonates deeply, and I can't wait for audiences to see what we have in store for her and Harper in series two."

The detective drama quickly proved to be a hit for 5 upon its release, not least because of a standout performance from Clarke, who brought the smart and witty detective to life.

But when will new episodes of Ellis air and who will star? Read on for everything we know about the second season so far.

Will there be an Ellis season 2?

Yes! 5 have officially renewed Ellis for season 2, which will comprise of three more 2-hour episodes.

On bringing the hit series back, Paul Testar, commissioning editor for scripted at 5, said: “Following the huge success of the first series of Ellis, we are thrilled for it to return with the brilliant Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower reprising their roles. We can’t wait to bring the detective duo back to the 5 audience next year”.

Acorn Media Enterprises (Acorn TV) also commented: “Ellis was an instant fan-favourite for the Acorn TV audience and met with rave reviews from top critics for its elevated and smart storytelling brought to life by the incomparable Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower. We could not be more excited to dive in on a second season of unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat cases with this dynamic pair.”

When will Ellis season 2 be released?

Ellis season 2 will be on our screens in 2026, with filming set to get underway this month.

While an exact release date hasn't yet been confirmed, at least we know we won't have to wait too long for new instalments of the series.

What could happen in Ellis season 2?

Each episode of Ellis sees a new guest cast and new case unfold for Ellis (Clarke) and Harper (Gower) to get to the bottom of.

According to 5, Ellis will "once again follow the DCI, a tenacious cop who, along with her right-hand man DS Harper, is parachuted into failing investigations across the north of England."

It's clear, then, that the pair would continue to venture to different towns across the UK to help local police forces with their own perplexing cases, and we'll undoubtedly continue to see how their own working partnership blossoms the more they know each other.

When asked about whether the small town format of the show could change, Gower previously told RadioTimes.com and other press: "It’d be interesting, selfishly, if Ellis ever took Harper into a city to see how the small-town boy responds in the city with the Met Office.

"But again, that kind of brings in a different kind of context and world, the kinds of murder you’d be dealing with in those kinds of places."

Clarke also said she'd want the series to continue to hone in on "rural towns up and down England, really". She continued: "As Andrew said, if you get into a big city, that’s a different kind of drama. But if you can deal with the smaller towns – that way, you get to see more of England as well.

"You got things set in Manchester, in the bigger cities. It’s actually great to champion our rural towns so people can see more of those and that keeps us within our world but forever changing as well."

"Those towns play such a huge character to the piece," Gower added.

The final episode of Ellis season 1 sees the pair at their closest, sharing a celebratory drink after a job well done – but also, we get a small insight into Ellis's personal life too.

Her daughter Grace finally messages her to say she'll call her, so there could be the possibility that we'll learn more about Ellis's family in any potential episodes to come.

Who could star in a potential Ellis season 2?

Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower are reprising their leading roles as DCI Ellis and DS Harper.

The only other recurring character in the series is Ellis's boss ACC Alison Leighton (Allison Harding), so we'd also assume she would return but that hasn't yet been confirmed.

As for other cast members, seeing as the series is centred on new towns and characters, there would be more guest cast members to get excited about should future episodes be released.

Ellis is available to stream on My5.

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