Sugar debuted on Apple TV in 2024, a neo-noir drama about a private eye tracking down a young woman who’d gone missing somewhere between the bright lights of Hollywood and Los Angeles’ grimy underbelly. But John Sugar (Colin Farrell) had a big secret. Once it was revealed, the eight-episode first season took on a whole new dimension. With Sugar season two arriving in a few weeks, it’s the perfect time to get on board with this stylish series. It embraces classic detective tales, but it also rewrites those tropes to create its own blend of genres. Season two will set Sugar on a new case, so while you seemingly don’t need to have watched season one (though we strongly recommend you do), you do need to have an idea of what’s going on in Sugar’s world. Who is John Sugar? © Apple TV He’s a talented private investigator who specializes in finding missing people—inspired by Sugar’s sister, Djen, who disappeared some time ago. No matter the particulars of the case Sugar happens to be on, he’s driven by the anguish of not knowing what happened to her.
Sugar is also deeply empathetic and caring. He prefers to avoid violence, though it does become necessary amid the dangerous circumstances he often finds himself in. He has an unusual connection with animals; in season one, he takes on a shaggy mutt named Wiley when his owner, an unhoused man Sugar was trying to help, dies of a drug overdose. (Elsewhere, he charms his way past a pack of attack dogs.)
