TV fans in the US got to enjoy the first episode of Killing Eve series two on Sunday night – but here in the UK, the show still has no air date.
While the drama focuses on a London-based Mi5 officer and sees most of the action play out in the English capital and a host of other European cities, the programme is produced by BBC America, who also own the rights to premiere the episodes.
Their decision to do so in a traditional, one-episode-a-week fashion, means that in order to release the entire series on iPlayer in one go, the BBC has to wait until all of it has aired in the US.
A BBC spokesperson told the Guardian: “We have to wait until BBC America have premiered all of the weekly episodes – which as commissioning broadcaster they are entitled to do – before we can begin our transmission, otherwise we would be premiering episodes before them.
“The decision to make it a box set was based around how we thought audiences would enjoy the programme. We are still experimenting with different release models and we know last time audiences really loved the fact we did this as a box set so they could binge.”
As a result, series two still doesn’t have an air date here in the UK but there is a silver lining – it seems it’ll be worth the wait.
Critics have heaped praise on the first installment, with the Atlantic declaring it “as macabre and audacious as ever”.
“The new episodes reverberate with a sense of humor that’s absurd, bleak, and distinctly British,” they add.
Meanwhile, Vanity Fair declares: “The subversive, sexy hit drama starts its second season with even more erotic subtext—and even fewer fucks to give.”
Series two has been penned by actress-turned-writer Emerald Fennell, who TV fans will recognise as Patsy Mount from Call The Midwife.
The TV Baftas shortlist, announced earlier this month, saw Killing Eve become the most-nominated show of 2019, thanks to a slight bending of the rules to allow the drama eligibility in extra categories.