It’s not often that a show gets cancelled, only to then be renewed well over a year later by the same network. But, luckily for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series, Sanditon, that’s exactly what happened when the channel reversed its cancellation decision in early May of 2021. The romantic drama (which is based on Jane Austen’s unfinished, final novel) takes viewers to a vacation-friendly seaside town and follows young new-comer Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) as she navigates life and love there while away from her family for the first time.
Now, Charlotte is returning to Sanditon after the events of the Season 1 finale, and we have quite a few bits of information about Sanditon Season 2 for fans to sink their Regency era-loving teeth into. Let’s get into the good stuff!
Sanditon Has Been Renewed For Seasons 2 And 3
Talk about a major surprise, right? Just as it seemed like there was no hope for Sanditon to either be renewed by PBS (and ITV, the network it aired on in the U.K.) or picked up by a streamer / different channel, we got some amazing news. Not only will Sanditon be back for Season 2, but it was renewed at the same time for Season 3. Time to get those bathing costumes ready for the old-timey beach!
Sanditon Season 2 Will Debut On Sunday, March 20
For those of us who’ve been starved for Sanditon info, even better news came along in late October 2021, when it was announced that we wouldn’t even have that much longer to wait for Sanditon Season 2. PBS announced that the new season will premiere on Sunday, March 20, at 9 p.m. EST. As of this writing, that means we have a bit less than two months left until we’re reunited with the (sometimes naughty) denizens of that small resort town.
The New Season Of Sanditon Will Only Have Six Episodes
OK, so I think you’re all probably ready for a slight bit of unfortunate news when it comes to Sanditon Season 2, and that will be that there are only going to be six weeks worth of new episodes. If you watched (and possibly re-watched) the first season, you’ll know that it included eight episodes of drama, romantic entanglements, and frequently cleavage-baring necklines. But, at least the episode count for the upcoming season won’t be too much shorter.
Sanditon Will Pick Up Nine Months After The Events Of The Season 1 Finale
When PBS announced that filming had begun on Sanditon Season 2 in July 2021, it was also revealed that the story won’t involve either a large time jump or the action picking up exactly where we left off. Instead, we’ll rejoin Charlotte, her friend Georgiana Lambe (Crystal Clarke), and others nine months after the events of Season 1.
For a brief refresher, at the end of the first season, Charlotte left Sanditon for home, after one Mr. Sidney Parker (Theo James) finally spoke his true feelings to her… and promptly married someone else so that he could have the money to bail out his dumb brother, Tom (Kris Marshall). We return to the action once Charlotte returns to the seaside hamlet.
Charlotte Will, Again, Have Two Love Interests In Sanditon Season 2
In case you were wondering (Don’t lie to yourselves, you know you’ve been wondering!), it does sound like things will start off at a very brisk pace as we jump into Sanditon Season 2. Not only will Charlotte be back in town, but she’ll once again find herself attracting the attention of two suitable gentlemen! Here’s what part of the official synopsis had to say about how she moves on from Sidney:
Charlotte returns to the beautiful seaside resort and soon attracts the attention of not one, but two new men. And, in her last summer season before turning 21, Georgiana Lambe, keen to forge her own identity, gets up to mischief in the name of love…but will she run the risk of being lonelier than ever before?
So, knowing what we do about the current residents of Sanditon, just who might these menfolk be? Well, the synopsis also notes that the town is becoming an army base and will “bring potential new romances, friendships and challenges for the residents,” and you can bet that at least one of Charlotte’s new potentials will be a fighting man. This should make for some hearty drama!
Several New Stars Are Joining The Sanditon Cast
With the army base and a host of military men now making the area their temporary home, you can bet that we’re going to be treated to some new characters, though not all of them will be in uniform. PBS let us in on the several Sanditon casting additions on Twitter in July 2021, and we will see Tom Weston-Jones (Copper) play Colonel Francis Lennox, a poised war hero who will battle for Charlotte’s affections with mysterious Sanditon resident, Alexander Colbourne (another new character played by Industry’s Ben Lloyd-Hughes), who seems to be Lennox’s polar opposite.
Other new cast members are Rosie Graham (Outlander), who will play Charlotte’s lively, romance-seeking younger sister, Alison, and actor Maxim Ays (Still So Awkward) who portrays her potential suitor, the dashing Captain William Carter. Meanwhile, Frank Blake (Normal People) is Captain Declan Fraser, and Alexander Vlahos (Versailles) will be the “striking and flamboyant” Charles Lockhart, a new arrival who came to paint Sanditon’s most important people.
Theo James Isn’t Returning To Sanditon, But Rose Williams, Crystal Clarke, And Others Are
Even though Sanditon fans were ecstatic to hear that the show was finally returning for at least two more seasons, disappointment soon came when it was revealed that Theo James, who’d played the most pressing of Charlotte’s two love interests in Season 1, had decided to move on and wouldn’t appear.
Luckily, though, when we head back to Sanditon, we’ll still be able to watch our favorite characters as played by many returning actors from the first season. These include Rose Williams, Crystal Clarke, Kris Marshall, Kate Ashfield (Mary Parker), Anne Reid (Lady Denham), Charlotte Spencer (Esther Denham), Jack Fox (Edward Denham), and Lily Sacofsky (Clara Brereton).
You Can Watch The Sanditon Season 2 Preview Now
You want to know what’s even luckier news for Sanditon fans than so much of the above info? You can watch a preview for Season 2 right now. Check it out!
Oooohweee! It seems like Sanditon Season 2 will be just as romantic, thrilling, and filled with dramatic tension as the first season, and I simply cannot wait!
As we anticipate the March 20 debut of Sanditon Season 2, be sure to check out the other upcoming romantic TV shows, as well as what's coming on the rest of the 2022 TV schedule!
