Robson Green’s chilling turn in The Game has viewers hooked as season two returns

Robson Green has swapped his familiar heroic roles for something considerably darker, and viewers are already being drawn back into the unsettling world of The Game.

The Channel 5 psychological thriller returned for its second series on Tuesday, September 1, bringing Green back as imprisoned serial killer Patrick Harbottle and Jason Watkins back as retired detective Huw Miller.

The four-part drama picks up a year after the events of the first series. Huw survived a brutal stabbing at Patrick’s hands, but while the killer is now behind bars, his influence over the retired detective is far from over. Channel 5 describes the new series as another chapter in the cat-and-mouse battle between the two men.

What happens in The Game season 2?

Following the traumatic events of the first series, Huw has withdrawn with his wife, Alice, to a remote home on the coast. He hopes the distance will allow them to put the past behind them and rebuild their lives.

That sense of safety does not last.

Letters from Patrick begin arriving from prison, pulling Huw back into the psychological battle he thought he had escaped. Patrick may be locked away, but he continues to find ways to get inside Huw’s head and disrupt his family life.

The official synopsis teases a story in which Patrick begins a new game from behind bars, targeting Huw’s family and steadily undermining his moral judgement. Huw is eventually forced to consider whether stopping Patrick permanently could come at a devastating personal cost.

The new series once again puts Watkins and Green at the centre of the story, with Sunetra Sarker returning as Huw’s wife Alice and Indy Lewis reprising her role as their daughter Margot. Amber James also returns as DS Jenny Atkins.

Viewers are already calling the new series riveting

The opening episode has quickly prompted a strong reaction from viewers, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts on the latest chapter.

One viewer described the drama as “riveting”, while another praised Green as a “great” baddie.

A second fan wrote: “I’m hooked from the first series, it’s so good.”

Another admitted that the show had once again managed to unsettle them, writing: “Had forgotten how creepy and unnerving #TheGame on Channel 5 is. Episode 1 of series 2 has freaked me right out all over again.”

The response follows a strong reception to the first series, which established the uneasy relationship between Huw and Patrick and left the story with a dramatic cliffhanger.

The second series was officially commissioned by Channel 5 in February 2026, with Green and Watkins both confirmed to return. Production is overseen by Clapperboard, with Sphere Abacus handling international distribution.

Robson Green looked to a real serial killer for inspiration

Green’s performance as Patrick has given him the chance to explore a very different kind of character from many of his best-known television roles.

Before the first series, the actor revealed that his preparation had been influenced by American serial killer Joseph James DeAngelo, better known as the original Night Stalker.

Green said he was fascinated by true crime, particularly the motives and destructive behaviour of criminals and the psychological damage they inflict on others.

“I’m addicted to true crime. I’m really interested in people’s MOs and destructive behaviour and how it destroys other people,” he told HELLO! and other members of the press.

For Green, DeAngelo stood out because of the psychological games he played with his victims. The actor recalled how the killer would enter people’s homes and deliberately leave doors open or move an ornament from one house into another, using those actions to unsettle and confuse the people he was targeting.

“He’d wait two weeks before he’d go back in and do it again,” Green explained.

The actor was particularly interested in the way DeAngelo appeared to derive emotional satisfaction and validation from these games, gradually breaking people down psychologically before ultimately killing them.

That interest in manipulation is central to Green’s portrayal of Patrick, whose greatest weapon is often his ability to get inside Huw’s mind.

Jason Watkins and Robson Green lead the psychological battle

At the heart of The Game is the uneasy relationship between Huw and Patrick.

Watkins plays a former detective who has spent years haunted by the serial killer he failed to catch. Green, meanwhile, plays the man Huw believes is responsible for the crimes, creating a tense dynamic in which neither character can completely escape the other.

The two actors were confirmed to return for the second series when Channel 5 announced the renewal earlier this year. The broadcaster said the new story would follow Huw as he attempts to rebuild his life after surviving the stabbing, only for Patrick to continue exerting influence from prison.

The series therefore shifts the focus from the initial question of whether Patrick is the killer to something more psychological: how much control can he continue to have over Huw when he is physically behind bars?

That question drives the new four-part story as Huw once again finds himself pulled into Patrick’s world.

When is The Game on Channel 5?

Season two consists of four episodes.

The first episode aired on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 9pm, with the second episode following on Wednesday, September 2, at 9pm. The final two episodes are scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, at 9pm, and Wednesday, September 9, at 9pm.

With Patrick continuing to manipulate events from prison and Huw determined to break free from his influence, the remaining episodes promise to push their psychological battle even further.