Entertainment NOW

Entertainment Now | August 27 - September 2, 2022 By Dana Simpson TV Media F rom Canada to the United States to the U.K., there is no denying that TV fans love a good bit of crime. Whether it comes in the form of a true crime documentary, a laugh-out-loud heist comedy or, as is the case with the Scottish series "Guilt," a darkly comedic thriller, nothing gets the blood flowing like murder on the small screen. Coming back to PBS Sunday, Aug. 28, for its second season, "Guilt" ups the ante and pre- pares to deliver even more deli- ciously dark and depraved deal- ings following the first season's hit-and-run accident. For those who haven't yet in- dulged in the thriller comedy (Season 1 spoilers ahead), "Guilt" follows two wildly dif- ferent brothers, Jake (Jamie Sives, "Valhalla Rising," 2009) and Max McCall (Mark Bonnar, "Catastrophe"), who, upon re- turning one night from a wed- ding, hit and kill an old man on the road home. Despite at first hoping that they only wounded the man, Jake and Max soon de- cide they are in over their heads and they flee the scene of the crime. Of course, the man's death shows up in the local newspaper the following day. Instantly plagued with guilt, any hope the men had of mov- ing forward with a "normal" life came crashing down with the arrival of a young American woman named Angie (Ruth Bradley, "Flyboys," 2006), who claims to be a niece of Walter's (new talent Joe Donnelly), the man they killed. As with many crime series, things begin to get even more complicated from here. Each brother — both determined to keep their mutual secret safe — makes a decision. While Max opts to hire a private investiga- tor, hoping to assuage Angie's fears and reaffirm their inno- cence (no doubt a risky move), Jake becomes intimately in- volved with Angie (also not nec- essarily wise). As the situation becomes more and more complicated over the course of the first sea- son's four episodes, the brothers learn that neither of them knows exactly what he is doing. To make matters worse, they be- gin to suspect further crimes on the part of those around them, from Angie herself to Walter's friendly neighbor, Sheila (Ellie Haddington, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," 2016), the supposed sole wit- ness to the brothers' crime. By the end of the show's pre- miere season, Alex and Jake be- gin to question just how in- volved Sheila really was in the circumstances surrounding Wal- ter's death that night and the secret comes out, leading to Max's arrest for manslaughter. Now, as Season 2 begins on PBS (it aired October 2021 on BBC in the U.K.), another four episodes are dedicated to the McCalls and their connection to a mysterious set of events. Be- ginning as shots ring out in an Edinburgh cellar, viewers soon learn Max is being released from prison on the other side of the city. Returning alongside Max (and later, Jake) for Season 2 are characters Kenny Burns (Emun Elliott, "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens," 2015), the private eye hired to investigate Walter's death in Season 1, and DC Stevie Malone (Henry Petti- grew, "The Danish Girl," 2015) of the Edinburgh police depart- ment. Joining the show for the first time, meanwhile, are Erin (Sara Vickers, "Watchmen"), a young woman struggling to come to terms with her troubled family life; Erin's father, Roy (Stuart Bowman, "Versailles"), a crimi- nal kingpin with many shady projects; Erin's mother, Maggie (Phyllis Logan, "Downton Ab- bey"), who has also been great- ly affected by Roy's wrongdo- ings; and Yvonne (Rochelle Neill, "The Nevers"), a street- wise police detective Kenny meets while attending an Alco- holics Anonymous meeting. Ian Pirie ("The Last Duel," 2021) also stars as Sandy. In speaking with the media ahead of "Guilt's" Season 2 re- lease in the U.K., series star Bon- nar gave a little taste of what's to come for his character, Max. "Max is a survivor, if anything else," Bonnar said. "He is very clever and knows how to ma- nipulate situations to his advan- tage so he won't be on his up- pers forever." He later added that Max "can turn on a sixpence if the situa- tion requires, and that's a very sexy, devilish quality we all ad- mire." As for brother Jake, he will appear in the second half of this new-to-PBS season — it is re- vealed that he left town upon Max's arrest at the end of Sea- son 1. There is also more good news for fans of the BAFTA Award- winning series: a third and final season is scheduled for release in the U.K. sometime in the near future. While an official release date had yet to be announced, Jon Petrie, director of BBC Com- edy, expressed his excitement for the last season (referred to as a "series" across the pond) in a news release. "'Guilt' is a Scottish gem that we couldn't resist bringing back for a third series," Petrie said, "and [writer] Neil [Forsyth] real- ly has encapsulated the perfect ending to round off Max and Jake's story." Immerse yourself in the dark, Scottish comedy "Guilt" when Season 2 premieres Sunday, Aug. 28, on PBS, and keep checking the PBS and BBC web- sites for news about the upcom- ing final season's release. Sara Vickers and Mark Bonnar in "Guilt" Back to blood and blame: PBS premieres Season 2 of 'Guilt' 2 | Cover story Grindstone Charlie's 1 x 4" Moore's Home Health 5 x 2"

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