The Trailer for 'Time' Season 2 Brings Three Very Different Women Together

BritBox has released the trailer for the star-studded second season of its prison drama Time, which aims to continue the first's exploration of the struggles and harsh realities of inmates within the British prison system through a whole new set of characters. 

The three-part series will switch its focus to life inside a women's prison and the story of three different inmates who are imprisoned there. It stars Doctor Who alum Jodie Whittaker as Orla O'Riordan, a single mother of three whose financial troubles have landed her behind bars. (Fun fact: Time Season 2 is the first post-Doctor role most Americans will see Whittaker in, as the Paramount+ U.K. original One Night has yet to find a U.S. broadcast home.) Tamara Lawrance (The Long Song) plays Abi Cochrane, an inmate three years into serving a life sentence for a crime she's doing her best to keep hidden. And Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) plays Kelsey Moran, a troubled, pregnant 19-year-old with a surprisingly long history of drug addiction. 

Thrown together in an unfamiliar world notable only for its ever-present threat of violence, the new prisoners struggle to find a rhythm to a life behind bars, but the unexpected connection between them allows them to create a sense of community, even though all three women come from starkly different backgrounds and experiences.

And if the trailer is anything to by, these women are going to need every bit of that camaraderie to survive. The clip is unflinchingly gritty, showing us inmates leaving their families behind and facing blackmail, violence, and threats within the prison walls. Basically, if you're looking for the offbeat humor of Orange is the New Black, this is not it.

Here's the series synopsis.

 Arriving at Carlingford Prison on the same day, Orla (Jodie Whittaker), Abi (Tamara Lawrance) and Kelsey (Bella Ramsey) are thrown together to face an unfamiliar world. But even with the ever-present threat of violence within its walls, they discover that an unexpected sense of community and a shared understanding still might be possible.

Alongside Whittaker, Ramsey, and Lawrence, Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley) will reprise her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise. Additional cast members for Season 2 include Sophie Willan (Still Open All Hours), Julie Graham (Shetland), Alicia  Forde (Waterloo Road), Lisa Millett (The Paradise), Fay McKeever (The Responder), Kayla Meikle (The Capture), James Corrigan (This Is Going to Hurt), Nicholas Nunn (Rogue Heroes), and Maimuna Memon (Unforgotten).

Time is created by Jimmy McGovern (Broken) and was converted into an anthology series after its first season --- which starred Sean Bean (World on Fire) and Stephen Graham (Bodies) --- was an unexpected hit. Season 2 is co-written by McGovern and Helen Black (Life and Death in the Warehouse) with Andrea Harkin (The Confessions of Frannie Langton) directing all three episodes. McGovern executive produces, along with Priscilla Parish, Michael Parke, and Andrew Morrissey, for BBC Studios and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Mark Hedges (Hanna) is the series producer.

Time Season 2 will premiere on Wednesday, March 27, with new episodes dropping weekly through April 10.