Strike Season 2

Right now you can watch Strike Season 2 on and — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. The show says what it needs to say in a single season, no filler. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch Tom Burke work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. Put it on tonight and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Strike Season 2 is worth clearing space for. The plotting gives Strike Season 2 its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike thinking her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before. But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2017. What distinguishes the best crime dramas from the rest is whether the character work can carry scenes where the mystery takes a breath — Strike Season 2 passes that test consistently. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For anyone who wants their crime drama to earn its twists, Strike Season 2 delivers. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single week. Tom Burke's performance is the kind that shows up on best-of lists years later. If you have been looking for something to fill the gap left by a recently finished story, this is a reliable answer.