Welsh television crime drama Under Salt Marsh has been renewed for a second season featuring actor Rafe Spall in a relocated Scottish story.
The new installment will consist of six episodes broadcast exclusively on European streaming service SkyShowtime, but original lead star Kelly Reilly will not return for the upcoming series.
Rafe Spall returns to his role as Detective Eric Bull, who now takes over as the sole lead protagonist of the series.
The character will leave the coastal setting of Wales to relocate to a remote mining town in Scotland that holds just as many secrets as his previous location.
Scottish setting and murder investigation
In the new Scottish setting, Detective Eric Bull becomes entangled in a fresh murder investigation that draws him deep into a community haunted by its own past.
The complex case will also force the detective to revisit his personal history as he seeks to understand his present circumstances and uncover the truth about his life.
Producers confirmed that the show will preserve its signature blend of criminal mystery and atmospheric environments while completely shifting its physical setting for the second run.
First season plot and Welsh mythology
The initial season of Under Salt Marsh centered on Jackie Ellis, played by Kelly Reilly, a former detective who had walked away from her career following the mysterious disappearance of her niece.
Ellis was dragged back into investigative work after the sudden death of one of her students revealed unexpected connections to her missing relative.
Detective Eric Bull re-entered her life during the initial investigation to help unravel the events surrounding the student's death in the fictional coastal community of Morfa Halen.
That opening story drew heavily on traditional Welsh coastal folklore and regional legends surrounding the salt marshes of North Wales.
The narrative incorporated mythical tales including the mermaid of Conwy, the sunken ancient kingdom of Cantre'r Gwaelod, and the pwca, legendary spirits similar to will-o'-the-wisps said to hover over marshlands.
Cast changes and Dutton Ranch renewal
Everything indicates that Jackie Ellis will not appear in any of the six new episodes following the shift in narrative focus to Scotland.
Kelly Reilly remains active with other television commitments after gaining global fame as Beth Dutton in the hit American drama series Yellowstone.
Her Yellowstone spin-off series, Dutton Ranch, which she stars in alongside actor Cole Hauser, was also renewed for a second season earlier this year.
