It’s been two years since Sugar premiered on Apple TV, but Sugar Season 2 is worth the wait. With Colin Farrell front and center and new showrunner Sam Catlin (Preacher) at the wheel, the season brings back nearly all that fans loved about the first mystery. Plus, what’s essentially a soft reset allows for some intriguing new additions.
The opening minutes of Season 2 are wisely a refresher: reminding viewers that Farrell’s private detective John Sugar is actually an alien, that his fellow extraterrestrials have left Earth, and that Sugar is still looking for his missing sister. With the proverbial alien out of the bag, Sugar could’ve transformed into an entirely different show, but instead it stays the noir course. Catlin is able to balance the fantastic and the gritty here as deftly as he did with the AMC adaptation of Preacher. Maybe even better, because Sugar is the TV epitome of “speak softly and carry a big stick.”
That’s the great thing about noir stories; they’re slow burns, adventures that are as much about what’s not said as what is. And Sugar sticks so closely to the noir aesthetic that sometimes the sci-fi part doesn’t even feel needed, in the sense that the detective drama—the human drama, if you will—has a big enough hook on its own. This time, instead of a missing child, Sugar is on the trail of a missing brother.
Jin Ha (Hamilton, Pachinko) co-stars as Danny Moon, whose wayward brother Ji (played by Quantum Leap star Raymond Lee) has left him a disturbing voicemail. Danny is skeptical, given Ji’s checkered past, but Sugar isn’t so sure. Sasha Calle (The Flash) also arrives as Val, who becomes an ally to Sugar. The one downbeat of Season 2 is that as fun to watch as the dynamic between Sugar and Val is, it can’t touch the chemistry that Sugar and Ruby had in Season 1. Kirby is very much missed.
But the fresh actors entering the series all bring something that gives Season 2 a different flavor. It’s not just a new case; the whole season feels like its own distinct adventure. Shea Whigham is a particular delight, not only is he such an underrated performer, but he fits right into Sugar‘s world, bringing back memories of his work in Perry Mason. It’s important in starting mostly from scratch that the Season 2 supporting characters are as fleshed out as the Season 1 cast, and they are, giving Farrell plenty to work off of.
Because ultimately, this is Colin Farrell’s show. The detective is the hero of the piece, navigating all those dark corners to find the daylight, and Farrell remains so at ease in Sugar’s trademark black suit and his straightforward demeanor. He once again hits all the notes that noir fans want from their protagonist, and never overplays his hand. When Sugar Season 2 does get back to its sci-fi mythology—because the season doesn’t forget about that part—Farrell gets to let loose a little more, and it’s bittersweet. That’s when the season also hits its biggest speed bumps, but there’s no denying Farrell is great with the material he’s given.
Fans who enjoyed Sugar the first time around will find almost everything they loved in Sugar Season 2. Farrell already has mastered the role of John Sugar, and while it’s not quite the same without Ruby, the new characters do their best to fill the void. The season maintains the noir aesthetic both in terms of plot and style, from the classic movie clips, to the lingering camera shots, to the deliberate pacing. Some viewers may want more after so long, but it’s enough to know that Sugar hasn’t lost what made it interesting in the first place. Even with a change of showrunner and an overhaul of the cast, with Farrell in the lead, this is still one of the more unique shows on television.
Sugar streams Fridays on Apple TV. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
