Homecoming season 2: Janelle Monáe stars in the second series of Amazon’s most thrilling drama

Janelle Monáe steps up as the lead of the new series in place of Julia Roberts, who trades her on-screen role as counsellor Heidi Bergman in season one for that of executive producer.

Here’s everything you need to know about the show, as the mystery ramps up for season two: 

Homecoming is based on a fictional podcast of the same name. The dramatised story of a caseworker seeking to help traumatised veterans with a groundbreaking new therapy soon caught the eye of TV producers, who adapted it into a critically acclaimed show. Roberts starred in season one, as viewers watched her experiment with recuperating soldiers unravel in the face of a dark and mysterious threat.

Great for fans of Homeland or The Looming Tower, the thriller balances slick performances with a lurking conspiracy theory that snowballs through each episode. It asks big moral questions around corporate greed, trauma and how we treat our war veterans – all harnessed within an unbearably tense mystery that sweeps viewers up in its folds.

Season two kicks off with an abrupt U-turn to a remote lake, where military veteran Jackie (Monáe) washes up, having lost her memory entirely. 

“I knew something was wrong with me, but I couldn’t explain it to anyone,” Jackie says. “It was like the people around me were keeping a secret, like we were in a movie, and everybody knew we were in a movie except for me.”

Although the role of therapist Heidi (Roberts) no longer exists, the shady Geist Group – which ran the experiment she was part of – is still a central part of the storyline. A sense of suspense is inherent from the start, as Jackie’s search for answers brings her face-to-face with the corporate overlords at the Geist Group, and the mysterious new drugs they are testing.

Newcomer Monáe is joined by fresh cast members Chris Cooper, who plays the Geist Group’s all-powerful CEO Leonard Geist, and Joan Cusack, who portrays a high-ranking and elusive military official. Meanwhile, Hong Chau returns as Audrey Temple, a Geist employee whose journey up the corporate ladder comes at an unknown price. Stephan James also makes a comeback as Walter Cruz, a once fun-loving soldier who is trying to rebuild his life after experiencing the horrors of war.

There is, and it’s every inch as thrilling as we’d hope. Send your heart race spinning with a preview of the action ahead.

The next season of Homecoming rolls out on Amazon Prime on 22 May 2020: get your favourite sofa-side snacks in now.

Images: Amazon Prime