USA Network has revealed the two leads and the plot for season 2 of “Dirty John.”
Amanda Peet and Christian Slater will star in the anthology series’ sophomore outing titled “Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story.” The second installment will be based on another true tale of love gone wrong, centering on a story that spans the 1960s to the ’80s, through the breakdown of a marriage that Oprah Winfrey deemed one of “America’s messiest divorces” even before it ended in double homicide.
Peet will play the titular character, described as the perfect Southern California blonde wife and mother married to her handsome college boyfriend Dan (Slater). After years of sacrifice and suffering while supporting Dan through both medical and law school until he exploded into the San Diego legal community as a superstar, Betty is finally enjoying the fruits of their labors. That is, until Dan hires Linda, a bright, beautiful young woman with whom he can happily forget the struggles of his past.
It was announced back in May that “Dirty John” was making the move from its original Bravo home to USA. The first season, based on the Los Angeles Times articles and breakout true crime podcast of the same name, starred Connie Britton as Debra Newell, the single mother who fell in love with charismatic con man John Meehan (Eric Bana). Season 1 was a ratings hit for the NBCUniversal owned network.
“The first season of ‘Dirty John’ was a story of twisted love and coercive control and both these insidious elements are also present in and integral to the story of Betty Broderick, whom I have wanted to write about since I became a writer,” said series creator Alexandra Cunningham. “I can’t wait to see Amanda and Christian bring it to life.”
Season 2 is written by Cunningham, who executive produces along with Jessica Rhoades, Britton, Atlas Entertainment and Los Angeles Times Studios. The team of directors for season 2 will be led by Maggie Kiley who will serve as co-executive producer and director on the season and direct four episodes, including the premiere and finale. Additional directors include Kat Candler, Meera Menon, Shannon Kohli and showrunner Cunningham, who will make her directorial debut. Netflix co-produces with UCP, which already has deep roots at USA with “Mr. Robot,” “The Sinner” and “Suits” all established at the network.
Slater’s part in “Dirty John” seas 2 represents his second big role at the network, as he is about to return for the final season of “Mr. Robot.” Meanwhile Peet was most recently seen in Amazon’s “The Romanoffs” and IFC’s “Brockmire.”
Peet is represented by Gersh, Management 360 and HJTH, while Slater is represented by UTA.
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