Following it’s ‘satisfyingly explosive’ first season finale, the second season of Scrublands is now streaming in the UK.
The Australian series was based on the debut novel of the same name by journalist Chris Hammer.
The first season, which was released in 2023, follows journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold) as he investigates what he initially thinks is a straightforward story about a small town a year on from a tragedy.
But as he digs deeper to discover the details of what actually happened after a priest shot dead five parishioners, Martin faces local residents who do their best to block him from finding out about their secrets.
Running across four episodes, the series was praised by critics and viewers.
The Guardian called it a ‘rock-solid addition to the rural noir genre, engaging from the start, all the way to a satisfyingly explosive finale.’
Earlier this year the four new episodes dropped in Australia. This week they were released on BBC iPlayer, with both seasons now available to binge for free.
Scrublands: Silver, which is based on Hammer’s second novel of the same name, follows Martin as he tries to uncover the truth behind a crime that ‘shatters his own world’ when his childhood friend, Jasper, is found brutally murdered.
However, things get incredibly complicated when Martin’s partner Mandy Bond (played by Bella Heathcote), then becomes the prime suspect.
It’s been teased: ‘As Martin races to uncover the truth and clear Mandy’s name, he’s forced to confront the darker side of his hometown Port Silver and the secrets lurking within his own past. Can he trust Mandy? And can he trust himself?’
The second season also stars Luke Carroll (The Artful Dodger), Debra Lawrance (Please Like Me), David Roberts (Please Like Me), Tasma Walton (The Twelve) and Luke Pegler (Hacksaw Ridge).
Speaking ahead of the release of the first season, Luke spoke about bringing the popular novel to life.
‘It is about motive, history and what people are going through. There’s tragedy, romance, action, it’s got everything and deeper layers than your usual mystery,’ he told the Daily Mail Australia.
Before the most recent season he spoke about his character being personally connected to the grisly murder.
‘In the first season, Martin was the outsider; he was not too personally connected to this mystery at hand,’ he told 9Entertainment.
‘But in Season 2, it’s Martin’s past coming back to bite him. It’s deeply personal.
‘He wants to get to the truth because he wants the truth, not because he’s gonna write in a story.’
For fans of Scrublands there’s also a chance it will return for a third season – with Hammer’s third novel in the trilogy, titled Trust, following Mandy’s disappearance.
Scrublands is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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