Sugar is an American neo-noir mystery drama television series created by Mark Protosevich for Apple TV+. The series premiered on April 5, 2024, with Fernando Meirelles directing five episodes while Adam Arkin directed three. The series stars Colin Farrell in the lead role, who also serves as an executive producer.
The first season received positive reviews and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) at the 2024 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. In October 2024, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 19, 2026.
Premise Described as "a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles", it follows John Sugar, a private investigator recruited by a wealthy movie producer to investigate the disappearance of his granddaughter.
Cast and characters Main Colin Farrell as John Sugar
Season 1 Kirby as Ruby (guest season 2) Amy Ryan as Melanie Matthews Dennis Boutsikaris as Bernie Siegel Nate Corddry as David Siegel Alex Hernandez as Kenny James Cromwell as Jonathan Siegel (guest season 2)
Season 2 Jin Ha as Danny Moon Tony Dalton as Ray Vega Raymond Lee as Ji-Seok Moon Sasha Calle as Val Laura Donnelly as Charlotte Fischer Shea Whigham as Tom Flybjerg
Recurring
Season 1 Miguel Sandoval as Thomas Kinsey Sydney Chandler as Olivia Siegel Eric Lange as Byron Stallings Elizabeth Anweis as Wendy Siegel Don DiPetta as Carlo Dibenidetto Anna Gunn as Margit Sorensen Jason Butler Harner as Henry Thorpe (guest season 2) Joey Pollari as Moss
Season 2 Jack Topalian as Teddy Garnikian Akrosia Samson as Elinor Bernard White as Dr. Stanley Ondaajte Laura San Giacomo as Peg Rosenthal
Guest Maeve Whalen (season 1) and Mireille Enos (season 2) as Djen
Season 1 Jon Beavers as Carl Natalie Alyn Lind as Rachel Kaye Darwin Shaw as Clinton Taishi Mizuno as Hideo Travis Richey as Gary Bascomb Cher Álvarez as Teresa Vasquez Scott Lawrence as Dr. Vickers Paula Andrea Placido as Charlie Jonathan Slavin as Everett Roberts Jayne Taini as Helen Sugar Isabella Briggs as Taylor Adrian Martinez as Glen Ben Mankiewicz as himself Eliza Blair as Dani Paul Schulze as Miller Julie Dretzin as the Producer Cameron Cowperthwaite as Ryan Pavich
Season 2 Nona Parker Johnson as Hannah McDaniels Catfish Jean as Blaine Bosco Erin Wu as Tala Rene Moran as Jose "Lolli" Guapo Matt Murray as Demo Gloria Laino as Beatriz Jaquez Vanessa Martinez as Sandra Jaquez Rell Battle as Len Pankow Eileen Fogarty as Deb Daniel Zacapa as Sergey Ojeda LisaGay Hamilton
Episodes Series overview
Season 1 (2024)
Season 2 (2026)
Production It was announced in December 2021 that Apple TV+ had won a bidding war for the rights to the series, which had Colin Farrell attached to star. Farrell would officially join the series in June 2022, when it was given the greenlight from Apple TV+. In August 2022, Kirby, Amy Ryan, Dennis Boutsikaris, Alex Hernandez and Lindsay Pulsipher joined the main cast, with Anna Gunn and James Cromwell cast to recur. In September, Nate Corddry, Sydney Chandler, Miguel Sandoval, Elizabeth Anweis and Jason Butler Harner were added to the cast. Karyn McCarthy was offered a producer role on the series but declined in favor of the Disney+ series The Acolyte. Production for the series began in August 2022, which was expected to extend into the fall, delaying another project for series star Farrell. Mark Protosevich and Simon Kinberg served as the showrunners for the first season.
In October 2024, the series was renewed for a second season. In March 2025, Jin Ha, Laura Donnelly, and Tony Dalton were announced to have joined the cast as series regulars for the second season. In April, Shea Whigham, Raymond Lee, and Sasha Calle were also announced to have joined the cast as series regulars. That same month, production for the second season had begun and later wrapped in August 2025. Sam Catlin served as the showrunner for the second season.
Release The first season premiered on April 5, 2024, on Apple TV+. The second season premiered on June 19, 2026.
Reception On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 79 critics gave the first season a positive review, with an average of rated reviews of 7.20/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A modern noir steeped in the classic tradition, Sugar could use stronger clues to go along with its ample style, but Colin Farrell's cool performance keeps things compelling." On Metacritic, the first season holds a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 97% of 36 critics gave the second season a positive review, with an average of rated reviews of 7.50/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Colin Farrell remains out of this world in his deduction, dedication, and emotional depth within Sugar season two, aptly bestowing audiences with a rich noir tale and sci-fi trappings that expertly adapt to the story at hand." On Metacritic, the second season holds a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Awards and nominations Award Date of ceremony Category Nominee(s) Result Astra TV Awards August 18, 2024 Best Actor in a Streaming Drama Series Colin Farrell Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Drama Series Amy Ryan Best Directing in a Streaming Drama Series Fernando Meirelles Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards September 7–8, 2024 Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) Richard Rutkowski Artios Awards February 12, 2025 Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Pilot and First Season Drama Sherry Thomas, Sharon Bialy, Rebecca Mangieri, Samantha Rood Saturn Awards February 2, 2025 Best Adventure Television Series Sugar Critics' Choice Super Awards August 6, 2026 Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series Colin Farrell
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