The premiere season for Amazon’s Sneaky Pete garnered rave reviews and a nomination at the 8th Critics’ Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. More than a year after the acclaimed first season aired in January 2017, Amazon released the follow-up second season on March 9, 2018.
Once again starring Giovanni Ribisi as the duplicitous Marius Josipovic, the second season of Sneaky Pete lost a rather vital asset in Bryan Cranston’s character, Vince Lonigan, the man who put Josipovic in prison. With Lonigan’s arrest and Cranston’s departure, the series was forced to focus on Josipovic’s other relationships, particularly those of the family of the man whose identity he stole, Pete Murphy, and other rivals. Filling Cranston’s shoes as series antagonist is Luka Delchev, portrayed by John Ales.
Though Uproxx’s review points out that Cranston’s absence was definitely felt, Screenrant felt the actor’s departure let the rest of the show shine. “[Cranston] had the tendency to suck the air out of every scene he was in, and in his absence, season two finds it a little easier to breathe,” Kevin Yeoman writes in the Screenrant review. According to Uproxx, the season follows forgettable subplots from the previous season, including those of Otto, Julia, Taylor, and Carly.
As viewers plow through the entire season, which is available on Amazon all at once, they may contemplate the potential for a third season. Though Amazon has yet to confirm whether it’s moving forward on production of a third season, the season two finale leaves plenty of room for things to get even more complicated for Marius.
The second season of Sneaky Pete was announced less than a week after the first season released, meaning the confirmation of a third could be right around the corner. With the praise season one received— including a 100% “Certified Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes — even if, as Uproxx claims, season two is a drop in quality, it’s unlikely Amazon will abandon the series entirely.