Will there be a Save Me season 3 on Sky and NOW TV?

Will there be a Save Me season 3?

There's no official word yet on the future of Save Me. The first six-part series aired between 28th February and 4th April 2018, with news of a recommission arriving on the 23rd March, between broadcast of the fourth and fifth episodes, but there's been no sign of an early renewal for season three.

But there's no need to start drowning your sorrows down The Palm just yet...

It was reported back in 2018 that more than a million people bingewatched all of Save Me in less than a fortnight, making it the most rapidly binged box-set release ever on Sky.

Last month, Sky revealed that between 17th March and 5th April, Save Me Too had become its most downloaded show with more than 3.1 million views – with those kinds of figures, we suspect it's only a matter of time before a third season is announced.

Lennie James has also revealed that he's keen to write and star in another season. "I have thoughts about carrying on the story because... this was always an idea for a returning television series and I don't feel quite that I'm finished with these characters," he said.

Giving an exclusive update to RadioTimes.com in June 2020, James revealed that he was "having conversations" about a third outing. "In all honesty, I am not at the stage I was when I was ready to write series one and series two," he said.

"I may get there, I may not get there. It's do with not just moving Nelly’s story forward but moving the whole ensemble's story forward, and I’m not quite there yet. That’s not to say I won’t [get there], but it’s also not to say that I will get there. But we are certainly having conversations about it."

In October, we caught up with James again, who told us that he was "still working" on ideas for the next series. “Genuinely, I don’t know for sure [if the show will return]," he said. "It could [come back] and on the other side of it, it could equally not! So we shall see.”

But by January 2021, he was sounding more positive. In an interview with host James Corden on The Late Late Show, James revealed, "We had a conversation the other day and I think we've got to a place where we know what we're gonna do next time around."

When would a potential Save Me season 3 be released?

Save Me Too – the punningly-titled sequel to the 2018 original – arrived on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV roughly two years after the first season.

This gap was owing to Lennie James's ongoing commitment to US drama Fear the Walking Dead, in which he plays survivor Morgan, with James only able to write and subsequently film new episodes of Save Me in the hiatuses between seasons of Fear.

Expect to wait at least that long then for a third season – it's also possible that the hiatus in TV production caused by the coronavirus pandemic could have a knock-on effect which leads to any filming being further postponed, due to cast and production talent being tied up in other delayed projects.

So we're looking at spring 2022 at the earliest, folks.

Who could return from the Save Me cast?

Bar any shock off-screen departures, you can expect the main cast – Lennie James as Nelson "Nelly" Rowe, Suranne Jones as Claire McGory, Stephen Graham as Melon, and Jason Flemyng as Tam, to all return.

The world of Save Me is also populated with a colourful cast of recurring characters, most of whom we'd expect to return for a third outing – that includes Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness as Jody, Olive Gray as Grace, Susan Lynch as Palm Tree landlady Stace, Kerry Godliman as Teens, Thomas Coombes as Goz, Alice Feetham as Bernie, Camilla Beeput as Zita and Remmie Milner as Daisy.

Lesley Manville also appeared in Save Me Too as Jennifer Charles, wife of now-deceased paedophile Gideon (Adrian Edmonson) – though given the events of the second season, it's unclear if she'd returning for the follow-up.

It's almost certain, though, that we'll be seeing more of Stephen McCole as Jody and Grace's elusive abuser Paul.

Explaining how the pandemic might affect storytelling in the third season, James told The Late Late Show, "We've got some young actors in Save Me who... I can't stop them ageing, so I've got to take that into account [in terms of] when I place the next season."

• For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.

Save Me Too ending: What happened at the end of season two?

Any third season of Save Me will have to resolve the cliffhanger ending of the second, which saw Nelly sacrifice himself to save Grace.

Having bungled an attempt to pin the crime on Paul, Nelly confessed to the murder of Gideon Charles to protect the real culprit – Grace. Handing over his blood-spattered yellow puffer jacket to the cops, Nelly's fate was apparently sealed...

Will Nelly be found guilty? Is he doomed to spend his remaining years behind bars? Will Grace admit the truth? How will Nelly's recently recovered daughter Jody, not to mention everyone else in his life, live with his decision?

Right now, the answers lie only in the mind of Lennie James – and it might be a little while before he shares his secrets.

Read more:

• Lennie James on Save Me Too ending: 'I don’t think Nelly made the right choice'
• Lennie James reveals how long he'd been planning Save Me Too's big twist
• Lennie James reveals why two major characters were missing from Save Me Too

All episodes of Save Me Too are available on Sky Atlantic on demand and NOW TV on 1^st April – check out the best Sky TV deals.

Check out what else is on with our TV Guide.