From Outlander Star to Edinburgh’s Rule-Breaking DS John Rebus – Season 2 Will Plunge Deeper into the City’s Dark Underbelly

The BBC has officially commissioned a second season of its acclaimed modern reimagining of Ian Rankin’s iconic detective series Rebus, with Richard Rankin once again donning the trench coat of Detective Sergeant John Rebus. The announcement, made during the BBC Showcase in London, confirms that Scotland’s most stubbornly brilliant detective is back for another round of moral complexity, gritty Edinburgh streets, and cases that cut straight to the bone.

Season 1, which premiered in May 2024 on Viaplay and later aired on BBC Scotland, introduced viewers to a younger, less jaded Rebus—still climbing the ranks but already allergic to authority and compromise. Richard Rankin’s portrayal won universal praise for capturing the essence of Ian Rankin’s creation while adding fresh layers of vulnerability and dry humour. Critics called it “the best British crime drama in years” (The Guardian) and “a masterclass in brooding intensity” (Radio Times).

Season 2, written by Gregory Burke (’71, Black Watch) and produced by Eleventh Hour Films, will consist of six episodes and dive deeper into the dual worlds that define modern Edinburgh: the heroin-scarred housing estates and the glass towers of law firms and private equity. “We’re taking Rebus into the places where the city’s real power hides,” Burke revealed. “Drug wars are the surface. The real corruption runs through boardrooms and courtrooms.”

Early plot details suggest Rebus will investigate a series of overdoses linked to a new synthetic opioid, only to uncover a money-laundering operation involving some of Edinburgh’s most respected institutions. Expect familiar faces—DC Siobhan Clarke (Lucie Shorthouse) and DI Malcolm Fox (Brian Ferguson)—alongside new adversaries from the worlds of finance and politics.

Richard Rankin, best known globally as Roger MacKenzie in Outlander, expressed his excitement: “Rebus is the role of a lifetime. He’s flawed, funny, furious—and utterly compelling. Season 2 lets us go darker and deeper into who he is before he becomes the legend everyone knows.”

Originally commissioned by Nordic streamer Viaplay, the series has now been fully acquired by the BBC following Viaplay’s strategic retreat from original production outside Scandinavia. The move ensures a bigger budget, wider reach, and—crucially for fans—availability on BBC iPlayer alongside linear broadcast on BBC One Scotland and BBC One primetime in 2026.

U.S. availability remains uncertain. Season 1 is currently streaming on Viaplay in America, but with the BBC takeover, Season 2 is widely expected to land on BritBox or Acorn TV. “We’re in active discussions,” a BBC spokesperson confirmed. “American fans who fell in love with Richard’s Rebus won’t be left out.”

Filming begins in Edinburgh and Glasgow in February 2026, with Ian Rankin serving as executive producer and consultant. “This is the Rebus I always imagined on screen,” the author said. “Richard has the soul of the character—stubborn, heartbroken, and impossible to look away from.”

From the cobbled streets of the Old Town to the gleaming banks of the Forth, Season 2 promises to be the most ambitious chapter yet in what is rapidly becoming British television’s must-watch crime saga.

Rebus is back. And Edinburgh’s secrets won’t survive him.