One of the best and most overlooked shows of 2018, Sweetbitter, is returning for a second season on Starz this summer. The new teaser trailer hints at some exciting developments in the lives of the staffers at the unnamed Manhattan restaurant at the heart of the show.
Adapted from Stephanie Danler’s novel of the name, Sweetbitter is partially inspired by the author’s experiences working at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe in the early 2000s. The soap opera-esque first season was full of details that accurately reflected the rhythms of daily restaurant life, and it looks like this new season will continue that trend. This mini-trailer includes a carb-heavy family meal, a shot of servers marching into the dining room carrying three big plates in each of their hands, and a few glimpses of the hard-partying staff blowing off steam at bars after work.
A lot of the first season’s plot revolved around restaurant-world ingenue Tess (played by Ella Purnell) learning the ropes at her job while also stumbling in and out of a romantic relationships with her co-workers Will (Evan Jongikeit) and Jake (Tom Sturridge). Many of the best scenes from Season 1 focused on Tess’s burgeoning friendship with Simone (Caitlin FitzGerald), an older, somewhat mysterious server who turns her onto adult pleasures like fine wine and fancy grilled cheese sandwiches.
Judging by this new trailer, it looks like Tess and Will are going to reignite their fling in Season 2 and there will definitely be some drama in the kitchen — at one point someone throws a towel at one of the cooks, and the manager Howard (Paul Sparks) yells at a chef as a staffer holds him back. “The city is intimidating — confrontational, almost,” Tess says in the trailer. “It never lets you settle.”
Watch the teaser above and stay tuned for updates on the launch of Sweetbitter Season 2 as they become available.
• Sweetbitter Season 2 [YouTube]
• 5 Things to Know About the TV Adaptation of Stephanie Danler’s ‘Sweetbitter’ [Eater]