Apple TV’s Imperfect Women gets season 2 and a new main character

Apple TV isn’t shy about giving second life to its glossy hits, and now Imperfect Women is officially back on the slate for a Season 2. Bit of a curveball, though: what started as a one-off adaptation is now turning into an ongoing series, and the direction is taking a sharp left.

Spin-off, But Not As You Know It

Originally billed as a limited run based on Araminta Hall’s 2020 novel, the first season pulled in audiences with a murder mystery swirling around three close friends. But for the upcoming batch, it’s not more of the same – instead it’s a single-character spin-off. Seriously, only Kerry Washington (Eleanor) is sticking around. The rest of that trio? Gone.

This second season ditches book material entirely and moves into new territory, with Eleanor heading back to her upmarket roots on Martha’s Vineyard, supposedly a posh Black enclave. Of course, because nothing in TV fiction stays lovely for long, the official line teases that beneath the waterfront serenity, there’s plenty of dirt to be dug up about her past and the people around her. Family secrets, scandal – you know the drill.

Imperfect Women Season 2 heads in a brand new direction, focusing solely on Washington’s Eleanor and introducing a fresh supporting cast.

So, while Season 1 was all about three friends reeling after Nancy’s murder, enemies popping up, and secrets flying every which way, the sophomore year shifts genres almost. Washington’s back as both star and exec producer, joined behind the scenes by Elisabeth Moss (who had a leading role in Season 1, but isn’t in front of the camera this time) and the usual Apple TV heavyweights.

Cast Shift and What’s Coming

Let’s recap where the show came from and who helped make that mess in Season 1: Washington, Moss, Kate Mara, Joel Kinnaman, Corey Stoll, and Leslie Odom Jr., among others. For the new story, there’s no word yet on who’s joining Eleanor in the Vineyard, but Apple’s said there’ll be a whole load of new faces.

Here’s how Kerry Washington put it herself in a recent statement about returning to the role:

We were thrilled to see how deeply these women and their stories resonated with audiences around the world, and I’m so excited to step back into Eleanor’s shoes.

She went further on the creative front, saying Eleanor 'finds herself navigating complicated and sometimes messy situations', and promised a 'fresh chapter' as her production company teams up with Apple and Love & Squalor Pictures again for this new turn.

No official release date yet for Imperfect Women Season 2, so for now, it’s just wait and see what Eleanor stirs up next in Martha’s Vineyard.