ZDF Enterprises confirmed Channel 4's decision to recommission a five-part crime thriller, "Before We Die." "Before We Die' proved to be an irresistible boxset sensation for UK audiences and the second season will return with more fast-paced action sequences and plenty more dramatic plot twists,” Jo McGrath, Executive Producer and CCO of Eagle Eye Drama, said. “So very rarely at the center of crime thrillers, women this time round will be pulling all the strings, leading to a breath-taking climax to the series.”
The series is produced by Eagle Eye Drama in association with Caviar and is supported by the Belgian tax shelter via Caviar Film Financing. PBS Distribution holds the North American rights and ZDF Enterprises will distribute the series worldwide, in addition to season one.
Commissioned by Channel 4 Head of Drama Caroline Hollick and Commissioning Editor Gwawr Lloyd, the second series will be directed by Carolina Giammetta, written by Mark Evans, and will be filmed in Bristol and Belgium this year with Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino as Executive Producers. “I’m delighted to welcome back this gripping crime thriller to the channel,” Channel 4 Head of Drama Caroline Hollick, who commissioned the series, said.“Series one struck a chord with audiences, with over 12 million viewers tuned into the show on All 4 - from the edge of their seats. I can’t wait for audiences to enter back into this world - with more surprises, twists, and turns in store and I’m delighted to have Lesley Sharp back at the helm playing the formidable Hannah Laing, along with the rest of our brilliant cast.”
“Before We Die” series one has had over 12 million All 4 views to date and was the sixth biggest first-run title on All 4 last year. Season one will launch in the US on PBS on Sunday, 20 March, 10:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET on PBS and will be available to stream on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel. It also can be streamed concurrently with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, and VIZIO.
Starring Lesley Sharp as detective Hannah Laing, Vincent Regan, and Patrick Gibson, the show follows Laing as she makes a desperate bid to protect her son Christian, played by Patrick Gibson. Season two will not follow the same storyline of the original Swedish series but will see Hannah pitched directly against Dubravka, played by Kazia Pelka the matriarch at the head of the Mimica Croatian crime family. “To take part in a story that has a complex, ambivalent, older female character at the center of its beating heart is a privilege,” Lesley Sharp who plays Hannah Laing said. “I am excited and honored to be part of this collaborative, creative team. Viva Hannah! Viva Channel4! Viva Eagle Eye! Here’s to the next chapter of 'Before We Die.”'