There’s Still Time To Binge Apple TV’s Excellent 8-Part Crime Thriller Before Season 2 Starts Next Month

Criminal Record, a brilliant Apple TV original thriller, had a great season 1. With season 2 around the corner, the time is right to binge the eight-part police procedural drama on the streaming platform. While Criminal Record didn’t make a huge splash, it earned a reputation as one of the most compelling thrillers on Apple TV.

Criminal Record’s cast includes the incredible Oscar Award winner, Peter Capaldi, as well as The Good Wife alumna, Cush Jumbo. The police procedural drama is a rare standout in the overcrowded genre, largely thanks to the life Capaldi and Jumbo breathe into their characters. The series’s first run was a critical and audience success, and its upcoming sophomore season might even be better.

Apple TV’s Criminal Record Is A Crime Thriller Worth Binging

Criminal Record season 1 only has eight episodes that run between 43 and 55 minutes, making it the perfect thriller to binge. Although the show’s short run is one of its allures, what gives Criminal Record its main appeal is the engaging plot. The series chronicles a murder investigation into a cold case that catches the attention of police officers again after an anonymous caller alludes to it.

Capaldi’s Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty (Capaldi) was the SIO in charge of the homicide case, but he and his fellow officers put the wrong man behind bars. So when Carla (Joana Borja), the aforementioned anonymous caller, tells the police that the man serving a 24-year-old sentence in Whitecross Prison was wrongly convicted, it catches the attention of Detective Sergeant June Lenker (Cush Jumbo).

Although Lenker and Hegarty are on the same side, it’s clear that the latter was part of a major cover-up. This results in a cat-and-mouse game, with Hegerty trying to keep his secrets buried and Lenker determined to ensure that an innocent man doesn’t spend the rest of his life in jail.

Capaldi and Jumbo are the main draw of Criminal Record. Their interactions are intense, especially because the viewer doesn’t know who is going to end up the victor, as they both have some good cards up their sleeves. There is simply no moment of dullness in the show. The pace is perfect, and the build-up pays off in the season finale.

Criminal Record isn’t a typical whodunit series, although it does have that kind of structure. Instead of just delving into who committed the long-forgotten crime, the show examines topics like prejudice, corruption in the police force, and doing the right thing.

Criminal Record brilliantly balances being engaging and being instructive, in a way that doesn’t feel too preachy. The characters are nuanced, and the plot is solid, making it easy for the time to go fast as you try to figure out who the true perpetrator of the crime is, along with Detective Lenker.

Criminal Record Season 2 Is Set To Improve Upon The First

Criminal Record season 1 did a brilliant thing. In the show’s season finale, the killer’s identity is revealed, leaving audiences feeling somewhat satisfied. However, the show did not reveal. There are still some questions that Criminal Record season 2 will have to answer. Fortunately, the thrillers’ first season laid a pretty solid foundation.

Criminal Record season 2 will premiere on Apple TV on April 22, 2026.

Detective Lenker might have figured out the role Detective Hegarty played in the conviction of Errol Mathis (Tom Moutchi), but he still walked away scot-free after he was investigated. Undoubtedly, the new installment of Criminal Record will continue this thread, and the tense relationship between the police officers will once again be part of the new storyline.

Now that we have been introduced to the main characters and have some level of understanding of their motivations, Criminal Record season 2 will undoubtedly raise the stakes. But whether Lenker and Hegarty will bury their conflict remains to be seen.