In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-serving monarch in the history of Great Britain in 2015, according to the BBC. The second sovereign on that list is Queen Victoria, currently being played by Jenna Coleman in the series airing on PBS as a part of its Masterpiece programming. The Victoria season finale airs Sunday, Mar. 5. And though it's dramatized her ascendancy to the throne, her first moves to assert her independence over people attempting to control her, and her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert, the show has barely scratched the surface of the queen's 63-year reign. When will Victoria return for Season 2?
The series had already had a successful debut across the pond when it finally aired in the United States. And indeed, it had already secured a second season before American audiences had settled in to watch the first episode. The Guardian reported in September 2016 that its home network ITV had renewed Victoria for Season 2 and that creator Daisy Goodwin and stars Coleman and Tom Hughes (Albert) would be back as well.
Goodwin took to the The Radio Times Twitter after the announcement to give fans a peek into her plans for the upcoming season. The action will take place entirely within the 1840s, which was an era of poverty and hardship for her kingdom and an era of great fertility for the queen. History buffs will know that Albert dies relatively young, but this time period ensures that he'll at least make it through this season. (Another one of the burning questions Goodwin answered had to do with Victoria's four-legged companions. "I do know that there will be dogs," she promised.)
Earlier this month, actor David Oakes (Prince Ernest) shared a photo on Twitter of the cast reuniting for the first table read of Victoria Season 2. And on-set photos from the official Victoria Twitter followed. On Feb. 20, Coleman posted a sweet picture of her reunion with Victoria's mount, so production is officially in full swing.
But when will Victoria Season 2 hit the airwaves? No start date has been announced yet for either the U.S. or the U.K., though American audiences may be in for a longer wait. If ITV and PBS keep the distribution model they used for the first season, then the new season will premiere months earlier in the production's home country. Though, there is still some hope that the schedules will be aligned as they were with the last season of Sherlock. Those episodes aired on the same day in both markets.
Though the length of its hiatus is still undefined, there's more proper good news for Victoria fans. In addition to a second season, ITV has ordered a 90-minute 2017 Christmas special that will likely follow those new episodes, per The Radio Times. There's plenty of new Victoria to come. And Goodwin pledged on Twitter that she'll write the series as long as there's a demand for it. "I am afraid that her Majesty could outlast us all!" she said.
