Criminal Record Season 2 Review: Returning for another layered and emotionally charged season, this Apple TV+ series, featuring powerhouse performers Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo in lead roles, deepens its exploration of systemic bias with a hint of moral ambiguity as it brings June Lenker and Daniel Hegarty together once again. With their long shadows of past mistakes haunting them, the season is all set to get more disturbing and relatable.
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Criminal Record Cast
Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo, Dustin Demri-Burns, Luca Pasqualino, Luther Ford, Lyndsey Marshal, Peter Sullivan, Shaun Dooley, Stephen Campbell Moore, Charlie Creed-Miles
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Criminal Record Writer
Paul Rutman
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Criminal Record Series Directors
Ben A. Williams, Joelle Mae David
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Where Can I Watch Criminal Record?
Apple TV+
The first episode will drop on April 22, 2026, with one episode releasing every week after that till June 10, 2026. The series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 45 minutes.
Criminal Record Season 2 Review
Plot & narrative
The second season pits Dan and June against one another once again, as, after the events of the first series, they are brought back to work on a case. After a horrifying racially triggered incident leaves one dead, June realises that she knows one of the perpetrators – someone who is supposed to be in jail at the moment. In a shocking revelation, she finds Dan at the end of all of her questions, which takes her on a quest to save hundreds.
The season widens the scope and explores how buried truths continue to shape modern-day policing. Keeping a strict focus on unravelling things slowly with a deliberate pace, the series feels heavy under the weight of imminent danger, the police’s unwillingness to stop it and the growing tension between Dan and June, who butt heads on a fundamental level.
The deliberate pacing can get under your skin as it can leave viewers frustrated. What starts off as an investigation into a murder at a political rally soon devolves into something more immediate and explosive. The far-right extremist plot and the exploration of policing in politically volatile environments give the show scale and give it an elevated sense of urgency.
Performances
First and foremost, Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo continue to be arresting and anchor the series with their roles. Capaldi is entrenched in the system with which he has somewhat of a love-hate relationship. He is operating in the shadowy world of police intelligence this season, once again making him morally ambiguous and his intentions unsure.
Meanwhile, Jumbo is more authoritative this season as June Lenker. However, as her responsibilities grow, we see different sides to her that sometimes clash with who we have known for so long. As a result, their team is a little fragile and contains a lot of distrust, which adds layers to an already terrifying narrative.
Dustin Demri-Burns is the antagonist this season and is great as the right-wing terrorist leader. His character is real and lived in, and the actor does a great job of making his character realistic. He’s not terrifying on the surface, but his ideologies are what make him so terrifying.
Themes & tone
The themes in Criminal Record Apple TV continue season 1’s narrative – truth in policing is rarely absolute and mostly dependent on who is seeing the bigger picture. The key themes include political extremism and how it works with law enforcement, compromising your morality in lieu of the bigger picture and that justice rarely ever comes without personal sacrifice. The tone is darker this season, focusing on a bigger threat, and it feels more introspective, as the characters have gone through several hurdles in the last season. We are made very aware that every decision comes with its own set of consequences and might not have a clear resolution.
What works
The stakes are higher this season, which is quite interesting, and the shift to terrorism feels immediate and urgent. Moreover, both the leads have been pushed to make some ambiguous decisions, which give their characters weight and depth. Lastly, this season feels more in tune with the real world, considering the socio-political tension of the world.
What doesn’t
The season continues to have long stretches of irrelevant sequences that dilute the storyline and the thrill a lot. As a result, the tension that it builds suffers a lot. Viewers will find themselves waiting for something to happen, but the series takes too long to get there. As a result of its thematic weight, the narrative drags as well, adding to the sluggishness of the plot. And, just like last season, some of the subplots feel extremely unnecessary and add nothing to the runtime.
Final Verdict
Criminal Record Season 2 is more ambitious and is able to deliver on the world-building that it wants to achieve. The series has seemingly traded the precision of the first season for scale, which doesn’t always land. As a result, it’s not tightly gripping, but it does a good job reflecting real-world complexities.
What are your thoughts on Criminal Record Season 2? Let us know in the comments below.
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