Red Eye season 2 release date, trailer and latest news
Hana Li reluctantly joins forces with an old rival in the brand new season.
Red Eye fans are guaranteed a good start to 2026 as ITV drops the second season of the espionage thriller on New Year's Day, with Jing Lusi returning alongside a new co-star.
The actor reprises her role of Detective Hana Li, who was drawn into a diplomatic crisis in season 1, revolving around a murder allegation directed at enigmatic doctor Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage).
Armitage is notably absent in the new episodes, with Line of Duty's Martin Compston stepping in as co-lead, playing the US embassy's security boss Clay Brody – an old rival of Hana's.
Despite the first season being a major ratings win for ITV, Lusi isn't feeling complacent about this return, as she revealed in a recent interview with Radio Times magazine.
Lusi recalled: "My exec said to me, ‘This is your sophomore year. You've made a hit album, you've set the bar high and now you've got to deliver'. And she was right. We do have to deliver."
How do they plan to do it? Well, Lusi went on to explain that the latest story from creator Peter A Dowling evolves the premise and her character beyond the themes explored in their debut.
"In series 1, you got to see all this amazing representation, it was a drama about British-Chinese relations and Hana's ethnicity mattered to the story," she explained.
"Series 2 has moved on, it's a different conspiracy, and Hana just happens to be an east Asian cop. So, she's just being her – and I’m just gonna do me."
If you're excited to tune into Red Eye season 2 on ITV1 and ITVX, read on for everything you need to know about the show's return.
Red Eye season 2 release date
Red Eye season 2 premieres on ITV1 at 9pm on Thursday 1st January 2026 (New Year's Day).
All six episodes will be made available on ITVX from that date too, giving diehard fans the option of watching ahead.
Other viewers may choose to circle back to Red Eye at a less busy time, given the stiff competition on the first day of the year, from BBC One's The Night Manager season 2 to Netflix's Stranger Things season 5 finale.
Red Eye season 2 cast: New and returning
Red Eye season 2 sees the return of Jing Lusi as DC Hana Li, who spent the first season unravelling a complex conspiracy aboard a perilous flight to China.
Lesley Sharp also reprises her role as Madeline Delaney, now director general of MI5, who finds herself aboard a perilous overseas flight in season 2, which echoes what Hana went through in the first chapter.
Other returning cast members include Jemma Moore (Lockwood & Co.) as Hana's sister Jess, a plucky journalist, and Robert Gilbert (Bergerac) as her boss, Superintendent Simon O'Brian.
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Notable by his absence is Richard Armitage as Dr Matthew Nolan, with Line of Duty's Martin Compston taking his place as Lusi's male co-lead, playing US Embassy security boss Clay Brody.
In summary, here's an overview of the Red Eye season 2 cast:
- Jing Lusi as Detective Hana Li
- Lesley Sharp as Madeline Delaney
- Martin Compston as Clay Brody
- Jemma Moore as Jess Li
- Robert Gilbert as Supt. Simon O'Brien
- Cash Holland as Ruth Banks
- Jonathan Aris as John Tennant
- Steph Lacey as Megan Campbell
- Nicholas Rowe as DSEC Alex Peterson
- Trevor White as US Ambassador Ronald Tillman
- Isaura Barbe-Brown as DCM Cece Redding
- Danusia Samal as Captain Sarah Wright
- Guy Williams as Air Marshal John Johnson
Red Eye season 2 plot: What is it about?
Red Eye season 2 once again splits focus between another threatened flight and events on the ground, but this time Hana Li is grounded and Madeline Delaney is trapped thousands of feet in the air.
The synopsis, courtesy of ITV, reads: "Inside the US Embassy, the celebrations for a newly appointed US Ambassador to London are shattered when a call, threatening to blow a British plane out of the sky if anyone leaves, triggers an immediate embassy lockdown, trapping guests and staff inside.
"And that's when the murders begin, landing Hana Li, as a British cop, in a political and jurisdictional nightmare. Compelled to join forces with the Head of Embassy Security, Clay Brody, played by Martin Compston, a former colleague who once screwed her over, Hana has to see her way past her distrust of him and focus on the investigation.
"Because this time it's personal: The plane that will be blown up is a government jet and Director General Madeline Delaney is onboard."
Red Eye season 2 trailer
You can watch the trailer for Red Eye season 2 right here, showing Lusi, Compston and Sharp in action.
Red Eye season 1 is available to stream on ITVX. Season 2 premieres on New Year's Day 2026.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
