The first season of Patience is already nearing its end. The crime drama debuted on June 15 on PBS, bringing a new adaptation of the French series Astrid et Raphaëlle to American audiences. Like many PBS titles, aired earlier in the U.K. — January 8, to be exact — so what updates have there been on the series’ future since then? With the penultimate episode of Season 1 coming out this Sunday on PBS, star Ella Maisy Purvis talked with us about the possibility of a Patience Season 2.
Patience stars Purvis as Patience Evans, a woman in her early 20s with autism who works in a the York Criminal Records Office. Her life gets turned upside-down by an unexpected partnership with Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser), who notices her keen eye for detail. Patience’s ability to notice patterns in even the trickiest of cases is a credit to her neurodivergent brain. While her neurodivergence is a strength in this regard — it even helps Bea understand her own child better — it does still plague Patience with social difficulties. There are people at her office who think Patience is more of a suspect than a help in these high-profile cases, causing her stress and unease. But as time goes on, Patience and Bea’s relationship strengthens and improves both of their lives for the better.
Purvis, who is autistic herself, shares what’s ahead for the drama.
Will there be a Patience Season 2?
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Yes! Purvis tells TV Insider that Patience Season 2 production is already underway in the U.K. She says that Season 2 will continue to flip the script on how neurodivergence is portrayed in media. In fact, she says that “Season 2 explores that a lot more.”
Patience was renewed by Channel 4, its U.K. network, in May. And there are big changes coming in the second season. Purvis is returning as the titular character, but Fraser is not coming back as Bea. The new detective in charge will be Detective Frankie Monroe, played by Jessica Hynes.
Patience Season 2 will be longer with eight episodes instead of six. Channel 4’s description for Season 2 says, “Patience will continue her work in the police criminal records department of City of York Police after establishing herself as an invaluable member of the team, bringing her unique insight into a series of perplexing cases. However, when a new boss, Detective Frankie Monroe brings a very different management style, it proves tricky for them both to navigate. Love is also in the air in this series as Patience begins a relationship with a work colleague Elliot and the police department gets a makeover with the arrival of a new PR consultant all whilst tackling intriguing crimes in extraordinary settings such as York Minster.
Who is in the Patience Season 2 cast?
In addition to Purvis, returning cast includes Nathan Welsh as DS Jake Hunter, Mark Benton as Calvin Baxter, Adrian Rawlins as Douglas Gilmore, Ali Ariaie as DC Will Akbari, Connor Curren as Billy Thompson, Liza Sadovy as Dr. Loretta Parsons, and Tom Lewis as Elliot Scott.
What happens in Patience Season 2?
Commitment to structure and routine helps Patience regulate her emotions on a daily basis. Given that, Patience wouldn’t find a career change to be easy. But Bea brought about that change whether Patience was ready or not, and as seen throughout Season 1, it broke open Patience’s life in ways she didn’t think possible before; it made new things feel not only good but within reach.
In Season 1 Episode 5, airing Sunday, July 13, viewers will start to see a romantic relationship begin to form for Patience with Elliot, and it was important to Purvis that the series fully embrace romantic prospects for her character. Autistic people are often infantilized in media. In Patience, Purvis wanted to reject that stereotype. It was a simple mindset: “She’s a grown woman, so why wouldn’t she then pursue that?” the actors tells us.
After the Episode 6 finale, a career change might be on the horizon for this clerk-turned-quasi-investigator.
“We are shooting Season 2 at the moment, and there are a couple of scenes where that is put into question,” Purvis reveals, “because it’s quite an unusual thing for a clerical worker, a civil servant to do, to be directly involved in the police work in crime, being on crime scenes and whatnot. But I don’t think we see her routine being disrupted and then it sort of evolve into a different routine. I think she’s very happy with the structure and relationships she’s built, not just with Bea, but with all of the team. She needs a pay rise. She needs more holiday days.”
When is Patience Season 2 coming out?
An official premiere date for both the U.K. and U.S. will be announced at a later time, but Patience is expected to return in 2026.
Will Fraser’s exit from the series be explained in Patience‘s final two episodes of Season 1? Tune in to find out.
Patience, Sundays, 8/7c, PBS