If you watched Season 1 of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and spent the last two years waiting impatiently for more, your wait is over. Season 2 landed on Netflix on Wednesday 27 May — and the good news is it’s worth every minute of that wait.
What is A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder?
For anyone who hasn’t caught up yet, here’s the quick version. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a British mystery thriller series based on the bestselling YA novels by Holly Jackson. The first season, which premiered on BBC iPlayer in July 2024 before arriving on Netflix in August 2024, follows teenager Pip Fitz-Amobi, who becomes convinced that a five-year-old cold case — the alleged murder of schoolgirl Andie Bell by her boyfriend Sal Singh — wasn’t what it seemed.
Emma Myers, best known for playing the perky Enid Sinclair in Wednesday, leads the cast as Pip — and it’s a genuinely star-making performance that earned the show a devoted fanbase on both sides of the Atlantic.
What happens in Season 2?
Season 2 picks up after Pip has ostensibly solved the murder of Andie Bell and posthumously exonerated Sal. She’s now dating Sal’s brother Ravi, using a podcast to give herself some closure about the whole affair, and counting down the days until Max Hastings — the moneyed villain from Season 1 — gets a hefty prison sentence.
In the Season 2 premiere, Pip declares on her podcast that she will never investigate a case again. She envisions a normal life with Ravi, filled with murder-mystery parties and a decisive court victory over Max. But Pip’s life flips upside down when her friend Connor knocks on her door after his brother Jamie suddenly disappears.
The timing is particularly suspicious — Jamie is due to testify against Max Hastings, who is on trial for the rape of Becca Bell and another victim known only as Woman A. Pip finds herself pulled back into investigation mode despite herself — and the further she goes, the darker things get.
Is it actually better than Season 1?
The critical consensus is a resounding yes. The first season added plotlines that didn’t serve a larger purpose, but Season 2 is far more condensed and cleaner, making every scene land more effectively.
Season 2 doesn’t bog the story down with go-nowhere subplots as the first season did — and it veers into darker, more complex territory throughout. Pip is now 18, and Myers exquisitely captures the nerve-racking first steps into adulthood, which are heightened by the dangerous situations Pip gets herself into. She embraces her antiheroine side in Season 2 without ever losing her relatability.
Henry Ashton delivers Season 2’s most compelling supporting performance, diving into the pits of Max’s psyche and pulling something spine-tingling out.
What’s new behind the scenes?
This is the detail that book fans will love. Season 2 is adapted from Holly Jackson’s second novel Good Girl, Bad Blood — and this time Jackson herself co-wrote the scripts alongside Poppy Cogan. Jackson said of the news: “I am BEYOND thrilled that we can continue Pip’s story and, this time, I’m writing on the show! We owe everything to the dedicated fans.”
Having the original author in the writer’s room shows. The adaptation feels closer to the source material and tighter as a result.
The cast
Emma Myers returns as Pip alongside Zain Iqbal as Ravi, Asha Banks as Cara, Jude Morgan-Collie as Connor, and Henry Ashton as Max Hastings. New additions include Eden H. Davies as the missing Jamie Reynolds, Mathew Baynton as Elliot Ward, and Anna Maxwell Martin as Pip’s mum Leanne.
Where to watch and how many episodes?
All six episodes of Season 2 are available now on Netflix. Each episode runs approximately 45 minutes, making it a very comfortable weekend binge if you haven’t started yet.
If you need to catch up on Season 1 first, all six episodes are also available on Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
Season 3 hasn’t been confirmed yet — but with the show’s popularity and two more books still in Holly Jackson’s series, it feels like a matter of when rather than if.