The Family Man Season 2: Amazon Prime Video Series Renewed, Casts Samantha Akkineni, Now in Production

Amazon Prime Video has renewed The Family Man — the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer socio-political action thriller series — for a second season, and has cast Samantha Akkineni (Rangasthalam 1985) in her digital debut. Created, co-written, directed, and produced by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. — better known as Raj and D.K., the duo behind films such as Go Goa Gone — The Family Man is about a government agent called Srikant Tiwari (Bajpayee), who struggles to balance the secrecy of his counter-terrorism job with the demands of his personal life that includes his family: a wife in Suchitra Tiwari (Priyamani) and two kids. The Family Man season 2 is now in production, but no release date has been set, and there's no word on Akkineni's role.

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The Family Man season 2 renewal was announced Thursday by Amazon, which noted that the TV show has already begun filming for its sophomore run. In addition to Bajpayee and Priyamani, and new cast member Akkineni, the likes of Sharib Hashmi as Srikant's partner J.K. Talpade, debutants Mehek Thakur and Vedant Sinha as the elder and younger Tiwari siblings Dhriti and Atharv, Shahab Ali as the terrorist Sajid, Pawan Chopra as Srikant's boss Mr. Sharma, Shreya Dhanwanthary as new agent Zoya, Sharad Kelkar as Suchitra's former colleague Arvind, and Dalip Tahil as Srikant's mentor Kulkarni will return in The Family Man season 2.

In a prepared statement, Akkineni said: “With the digital space booming, I knew I had to be a part of this revolution. What better way to make my digital debut, than with one of India's most loved series - The Family Man. I have loved Raj & D.K.'s work and given the global reach and standing of Amazon Prime Video, I couldn't have asked for better partners. The role I play for the show is diametrically different from anything I have done before. It will certainly surprise and delight my fans.”

Raj & D.K., who produce via D2R Films said: “The Family Man has become a global sensation and we couldn't be happier associating with Amazon Prime Video to make this happen. While we hoped that audiences would like and relate to the show, what has truly overwhelmed us is the magnitude of love we received within days of the release. Our pan-Indian cast has also been getting amazing appreciation from audiences across the country. We are thrilled that the quality of content and performances are truly breaking down preexisting walls within various film industries in India. We are delighted to announce that together with Amazon Prime Video, we are coming back with a new season that promises more edge-of-the-seat drama and thrill – the plot will thicken.”

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Bajpayee added: “There is no better feeling for an actor than being appreciated by the audience and fans. The response received on my performance in The Family Man has been overwhelming and I am grateful to Raj and D.K. and Amazon Prime Video for their faith in me and giving me an opportunity to play the flawed but extremely relatable Srikant Tiwari. The experience of working with Amazon Prime Video has been phenomenal and I am truly excited for season 2.”

Amazon Prime Video's India director and head of content, Vijay Subramaniam, said: “Spy thrillers have been one of the more popular genres amongst our international originals; and we are happy to see this global phenomena recreated in India for The Family Man. Interestingly, the show was loved both by audiences in India and abroad. The Family Man has become our most watched Amazon Original Series in India! We are thrilled to be working with the talented duo Raj and DK for another successful season of The Family Man.”

For Amazon, The Family Man joins the likes of cricket-themed drama Inside Edge, which returns in December; crime thriller Breathe, which cast Abhishek Bachchan in the lead for its second run; crime drama Mirzapur, slated to return in 2020; and women-centric comedy-drama Four More Shots Please! as original series from India that have been officially greenlit for season two. A second season of the Zoya Akhtar-directed drama Made in Heaven is also in the works, but Amazon has yet to confirm it.

The Family Man season 2 will likely air in 2020–21 on Amazon Prime Video. Raj & D.K. wrote season 2 with Suman Kumar, who also worked on season 1.