Ellis Series 2 arrives on DVD with the swagger of a show that knows it has already earned its place in the modern detective‑drama lineup. The first series was praised as “the British detective drama that the genre has been crying out for” and Sharon D. Clarke was singled out for pouring “wit, enigma and emotion into her leading role”. That energy carries straight into the new season, but with a sharper edge and a deeper emotional pulse.
Clarke’s DCI Ellis remains the show’s anchor, a detective who can dismantle a suspect’s confidence with a single look. The Times called her “the queen of the withering look”, and Series 2 gives her even more opportunities to wield that superpower. Clarke plays Ellis with a level of control that makes the character feel both mythic and grounded. She doesn’t need theatrics. She simply walks into a room, and the temperature changes.
This season finds Ellis once again being dropped into failing cases across the North of England, fresh off her victories from Series 1. The new investigations peel back “layers of silence, ambition and betrayal”, and the writing team of Paul Logue and Sian Ejiwunmi‑Le Berre keeps the stories rooted in community tensions rather than procedural gimmicks. One case centers on the suspicious death of a beloved community leader, a storyline that exposes long‑held resentments. Another follows the death of a young woman that leads the team into a hidden network of coercion and exploitation. The show never sensationalizes these topics. Instead, it treats them with a seriousness that gives the drama weight.
Andrew Gower returns as DS Harper, and as someone who loved his work in Black Mirror, I’m always happy to see him get material that lets him stretch. Harper is the perfect counterbalance to Ellis. He is earnest where she is incisive, and observant where she is surgical. Their dynamic is one of the show’s quiet strengths, and the DVD’s “On Set with Andrew Gower” featurette feels like a smart inclusion for fans who appreciate the nuance he brings to the role.
Even though Mark Addy is not part of this series, his legacy as King Robert Baratheon in Game of Thrones is a useful comparison point. Addy had a way of commanding a scene with humor and gravitas, and Clarke operates in that same rare space. She doesn’t just lead the show. She defines its rhythm. If Addy was the king who could silence a hall with a roar, Clarke is the detective who can silence a suspect with a raised eyebrow.
What makes Ellis Series 2 stand out is its refusal to rely on spectacle. It is a procedural that trusts character over chaos. It respects its audience enough to let tension simmer instead of explode. It is gritty without being grim, stylish without being flashy, and emotional without being sentimental. The cases matter, but the people matter more.
Ellis is not just another detective drama. It is a character study wrapped in a procedural shell, powered by one of the most compelling performances on British television. For fans of grounded crime stories, for admirers of Sharon D. Clarke’s commanding presence, and for anyone who appreciates a show that sharpens the genre instead of recycling it, the Ellis Series 2 DVD release is absolutely worth adding to the shelf.
Jessie Hobson