There’s something especially satisfying about a second season. The world is built, the characters are defined, and the stakes get higher. This year, three of the most anticipated sophomore seasons on TV all have one thing in common: Black men at the center, carrying the weight of complex storytelling.
From global thrillers to psychological dramas, here are three Season 2 returns we’re genuinely excited about, plus when and where to watch.
Hijack – Apple TV+ | Premieres January 14
Hijack, the tense thriller starring Idris Elba, returns for its sophomore season on Apple TV+. In Season 1, Elba’s character Sam Nelson, a corporate negotiator caught in an in-flight hijacking, held viewers on edge with his performance.
Season 2 flips the setting from sky to subway as Sam finds himself once again thrust into a real-time crisis. This time, the drama unfolds aboard a Berlin underground train during rush hour, where heavily armed attackers and trapped commuters set the stage for a claustrophobic, layered thriller.
Cross – Prime Video | Premieres February 11
Starring Aldis Hodge as the brilliant detective-psychologist Alex Cross, Cross returns to Prime Video for its second season on February 11. Based on the beloved Alex Cross novels by James Patterson, the series mixes investigation with psychological insight, spotlighting Cross’s intuitive mind and moral complexity.
Season 2 pushes Cross into darker, more dangerous territory. The new chapter kicks off when billionaire business titan Lance Durand, played by Matthew Lillard, contacts the FBI after receiving a chilling death threat, one that links him to the murder of a fellow billionaire playboy. What begins as a protection detail spirals into a twisted investigation marked by gruesome clues, buried secrets, and a killer with a very specific plan.
Paradise – Hulu | Premieres February 23
On February 23, Paradise returns to Hulu for its much-anticipated second season. The series stars Sterling K. Brown as Secret Service agent Xavier Collins, who emerged from Season 1’s explosive finale determined to uncover the truth behind a presidential assassination and navigate a fractured post-apocalyptic world.
Season 2 expands the narrative beyond the massive underground bunker of “Paradise,” splitting focus between Collins’s perilous journey to find his wife, Teri, and the tense political aftermath unfolding among those left behind. New mysteries, alliances, and revelations await as audiences watch a world reshaped by catastrophe, and a leader pushed to the brink.
Range of Storytelling
What ties these Season 2 returns together isn’t just star power, though Idris Elba, Aldis Hodge, and Sterling K. Brown certainly command attention, but the range of storytelling they represent.
Hijack brings cinematic tension in real time; Cross dives deep into moral ambiguity and psychological thrills; Paradise explores survival, identity, and power in a world unmade. Together, they illustrate how Black male leads are shaping major streaming narratives across genres in 2026.
Whether you’re craving action, mystery, or dystopian intrigue, these returning series are shaping up to be some of the year’s most compelling television and musts on your watch list.
