Could Lexie Noble be heading back to our screens in Payback season 2? We certainly hope so and the show's writer says she's got a few ideas up her sleeve if ITV commission a sequel!
The first series of Debbie O'Malley's crime thriller saw Morven Christie playing a widowed mum-of-two, who was forced to help crime boss Cal Morris (Peter Mullan) with his illegal finances.
With Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio exec producing, it proved a big hit on ITVX and millions of viewers tuned in to watch Lexie walk a perilous tightrope between Morris and the detectives who were after him.
But could we see Morven Christie return to the role in the years to come?
* WARNING - This article contains spoilers for Payback season 1 *
When can we expect a Payback season 2 release date?
ITV haven't confirmed Payback will be back for a new series, but at a recent press event the show's creator Debbie O'Malley said she would be open to returning after being asked if there were any ideas she missed out in the first season.
"I'm hoping we might get to come back so I'm going to keep that to myself," she told journalists. "We created a very rich world and a web of very interesting relationships on either side of the law... I think there's always potential."
If ITV does confirm a new series then it seems likely we might have to wait a while, with a potential release date of 2025 not unlikely. But we'll keep you updated if we hear anything.
Potential plots for Payback season 2 (spoilers if you've not seen all of first series!)
Payback ending explained: 'Who killed Jared Noble?'
The first season finished with Lexie Noble, her two young kids and her nanny escaping to a new life in America, with a pair of sapphire earrings and £27m in the bank. Meanwhile Cal Morris was in jail and his nephew Aaron Morris was dead.
Yet it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility for Morris to use his vast resources to track Lexie down in Washington and send someone to recoup his funds and exact some revenge. After all, it didn't take DC Khan long to find out where she was headed and Morris has allies in all sorts of places within Police Scotland.
We also couldn't help but notice how Lexie developed a flair for illegal finance during her time working alongside the crime boss. Could she find herself drawn back into the world of crime?
Or could we see the financial investigators at Police Scotland taking on a new villain in a completely new story, as in Mercurio's hit crime drama Line of Duty? Either way, we'd be very excited to return to the world of money-laundering...
Who could return?
It would be great to see Morven Christie and Peter Mullan return as Lexie Noble and Cal Morris respectably, especially after the strong performances each of them gave while leading Payback season one. If Cal returns then we hope Julie Graham — who played his wife Connie — also comes back.
We'd also be intrigued so see Malky Roberts (Stephen Mackintosh) returning as we felt his character had far more to offer on a journey through the murky world of criminal finance.
However, if executive producer Jed Mercurio goes for an anthology approach, then we could see the detectives returning to take on another case — with some new stars playing their quarry.
If that is that is the case then these are the cast members that could return, although we wouldn't be that disappointed if DCI Guthrie didn't come back, as we didn't like him much at all tbqh.
Payback season 2 trailer
There's no trailer available for this one yet, but we'll be sure to post it here if and when it lands.
