By the time Bookish returns for its second season, Gabriel Book’s world won’t feel quite so small. After establishing the tone, characters, and cozy-but-deadly atmosphere of Archangel Lane in Season 1, creator and star Mark Gatiss says the next chapter of the series is ready to widen its lens — in both story and scale. Set in London in 1946, in the immediate aftermath of World War II, the series centers on Book, an antiquarian bookseller with a razor-sharp intellect and a deep well of literary knowledge, who assists the police in unraveling complex murder cases. His mastery of books becomes his most valuable investigative tool.
“Yeah, it’s definitely more ambitious,” Gatiss said of Season 2. “But I mean, it was just fantastic for UKTV and PBS to take the punt early because we’re ahead of the game. We’ve finished shooting just before Christmas, so it means it’ll be on later this year, and that’s wonderful to have that sense of confidence and momentum.”
That early vote of confidence didn’t just help production logistics — it also gave Gatiss and his team room to think bigger, creatively. Plus, it’s always good to know that, when you’ve poured your heart and soul into a new project, it’s been so well received by those backing you that they immediately want to see more, believing audiences will share the same emotions. “But yeah, I mean, it is definitely … Second series is more ambitious, and that’s a lot to do with establishing the precinct.”
What Can We Expect from ‘Bookish’ Season 2?
In Season 1, the show deliberately kept its geography tight, letting viewers get comfortable in Book’s immediate surroundings. He explained:
“The murder is on the Lane in the first two, and then the film crew comes to the Lane. And then in the third story in series one, they go down the road to the big hotel, but it doesn’t stray far. And I think that’s important to give everyone their bearings. And then in the second series, it just sort of spreads its wings a bit.”
That expansion doesn’t mean abandoning the intimacy that defines Bookish, but it does suggest bigger canvases, new corners of post-war London, and mysteries that reach beyond the familiar comfort of the bookshop.
Bookish Season 1 is now available to watch on PBS.
- Release Date
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July 16, 2025
- Network
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U&Alibi
- Directors
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Carolina Giammetta
Cast
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Elliot Levey
Inspector Bliss
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