‘Tell Me Lies’ Season 2 Is Finally Underway: Everything to Know
'Tell Me Lies'
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Carola Lovering, the Hulu series Tell Me Lies centers on a turbulent relationship, beginning with the couple in college and following them into their mid-twenties. Since Lovering’s novel is a standalone story without any sequels, fans initially expected that the TV adaptation would be a limited series. But in fact, Tell Me Lies was renewed for a second season back in November of 2022. Though production was delayed by the WGA and SAG strikes in 2023, filming is finally underway as of January 2024, so here’s everything we know so far about the show’s second season, including who's in the cast.
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What is Tell Me Lies Season 2 about?
During season 1, creator Meghan Oppenheimer stayed true to the spirit of the book while making some changes that open up plenty of possibilities for an ongoing series, following Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen’s (Jackson White) passionate but toxic entanglement over the course of eight years after their first meeting in upstate New York. The finale focused on unveiling the dark truth behind the mysterious death of Lucy’s freshman-year roommate Macy, as Lucy discovered that Stephen was the one driving the car when she died in a crash. And the episode’s final moments brought another shocking twist, revealing that in the present day Stephen is engaged to Lucy’s high-school best friend, Lydia (Natalee Linez).
Though an official synopsis hasn’t yet been revealed for Tell Me Lies Season 2, Oppenheimer has said that vengeance is a major theme. “I think there will be some revenge plots in Season 2,” she told TVLine. “I don’t think that [Lucy] can tell people about [Stephen] being in the car because he made it so clear to her that if she were to tell that, she also have to admit all these other things, and I don’t think she’s at a place where she’s willing to risk that social annihilation and admit how badly she behaved, especially now that she’s seen that it wasn’t even worth it.”
During the same interview, Oppenheimer also revealed that the plan was always for the show to run for multiple seasons, and so Season 1 was written with the goal of leaving things open. “The last time we saw [Lucy and Stephen] together in college was the end of Lucy’s freshman year when he comes down the stairs with Diana, but that’s not the last time they saw each other before the engagement party,” she teased. “There are many more breakups and getting back together and breaking up again that have happened in the meantime. I think it would be really fun to explore all that.”
Who's in the Tell Me Lies Season 2 cast?
Tom Ellis
Lucifer star Tom Ellis has joined the cast of Tell Me Lies as a series regular for Season 2. Per Deadline, he’ll play Oliver, a professor at Baird College whose tough-love attitude makes him an intimidating presence that isn’t appreciated by all students. His influence will apparently have “chaotic repercussions,” which is pretty much par for the course on this show.
Grace Van Patten
Josh Stringer/Hulu
Van Patten will return in the lead role of Lucy, whose life is reshaped after she falls for the seductive but narcissistic Stephen. “It’s really been interesting seeing the audience response to Lucy, and seeing how people have been almost as angry at her as they are with Stephen,” Oppenheimer told TV Line. “I don’t think that Lucy is as naturally manipulative as Stephen, but I think that what happens when you’re in a relationship like this is the behavior starts to seep over and you start to give what you’re getting. You start to learn the survival tools that the other person is using.”
Jackson White
Josh Stringer/Hulu
White will also be back as the show’s antihero, Stephen, who does a lot of the lie-telling referenced in the title. “Playing a pretty locked-up, repressed character created a lot of tension in me,” White told Esquire about his experience in the role. “I felt very closed off. In real life I'm a really expressive, talkative, emotional person. I talk about everything, I'm very extroverted, and this dude is so locked up and secretive.”
Catherine Missal
Josh Stringer/Hulu
Missal is confirmed to be returning as Bree, one of Lucy’s best friends at college who has an expanded role in the series compared to the book. In the show’s present-day timeline, Lucy is en route to Bree’s engagement party, where she encounters Stephen for the first time in many years.
Sonia Mena
Josh Stringer/Hulu
Mena will also return as Pippa, another member of Lucy’s college friend group, who uses her bravado to mask her insecurity.
Natalee Linez
Although Linez’s Lydia played only a minor role in Season 1, that’s bound to change in Season 2 following the revelation that she’s engaged to Stephen years after college.
What is the Tell Me Lies Season 2 release date?
A premiere date hasn’t been announced yet for Tell Me Lies Season 2. The first season premiered in September of 2022, so since Season 2 began filming in January of 2024, another fall premiere date is feasible.
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How many episodes are in Tell Me Lies Season 2?
Assuming it follows the same format as the first season, Season 2 will be 10 episodes long.
How to watch Tell Me Lies Season 2
Tell Me Lies is a Hulu original, so you’ll need a subscription to the platform to stream it.
Is there a Tell Me Lies Season 2 trailer?
A trailer for Season 2 hasn’t yet been released, since as of January 2024 the show had only just returned to production. But the show’s Instagram account did drop a first-look photo of stars Grace Van Patten, Catherine Missal and Sonia Mena back on set.
