# Sugar (2024 TV series)
**Sugar** is an American neo-noir detective drama series created by Mark Protosevich for Apple TV+, starring [Colin Farrell](https://www.edgepedia.org/colin-farrell) as John Sugar, a Los Angeles private investigator whose missing-persons cases conceal a science-fiction secret about his own origins. The eight-episode first season debuted on April 5, 2024, with the first two episodes released that day and one new episode weekly thereafter.[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apples-highly-anticipated-noir-detective-series-sugar-starring-and-executive-produced-by-academy-award-nominee-colin-farrell-to-make-global-debut-friday-april-5-on-apple-tv/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and debut | Apple TV+, April 5, 2024, first two episodes followed by weekly releases[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apples-highly-anticipated-noir-detective-series-sugar-starring-and-executive-produced-by-academy-award-nominee-colin-farrell-to-make-global-debut-friday-april-5-on-apple-tv/) |
| Format | Eight episodes per season; season 1 (2024), season 2 (2026)[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apples-highly-anticipated-noir-detective-series-sugar-starring-and-executive-produced-by-academy-award-nominee-colin-farrell-to-make-global-debut-friday-april-5-on-apple-tv/) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/sugar/) |
| Creator | Mark Protosevich, screenwriter of *The Cell* and *I Am Legend*[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/crime-shows/sugar-season-2-trailer/) |
| Directors | Fernando Meirelles (*[City of God](https://www.edgepedia.org/city-of-god-2002-film)*, *Two Popes*) and Adam Arkin (*The Offer*)[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twvPGxuEOEA) |
| Lead cast | Colin Farrell (John Sugar), Kirby (Ruby), Amy Ryan (Melanie), James Cromwell (Jonathan Siegel), Sydney Chandler (Olivia Siegel)[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apples-highly-anticipated-noir-detective-series-sugar-starring-and-executive-produced-by-academy-award-nominee-colin-farrell-to-make-global-debut-friday-april-5-on-apple-tv/) • [5](https://mooveedb.com/tv/2024/sugar-203744) |
| Renewal | Renewed for a second season in October 2024; season 2 premiered June 19, 2026[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/crime-shows/sugar-season-2-trailer/) |
| Rating | TV-MA, with content advisories for language, sexual content, and violence[7](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/sugar/umc.cmc.4r6q7tdquewehwvb3rzl0k3dt) |
## Spoilers
- **Central twist:** In episode 6, Sugar is revealed to be a blue-skinned alien observing human behavior[6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/sugar-season-2-colin-farrells-disastrous-tv-show-pulls-off-shocking-180)
### Premise and season 1
John Sugar is an enigmatic Los Angeles private investigator who gets hired by wealthy clients to find missing people. He is soft-spoken, has a taste for old Hollywood movies, models his life and personality on classic crime cinema, drives a 1966 Corvette Stingray, and wears a collection of identical black-and-white suits; he is also a lethal fighter who says he does not like hurting people.[8](https://www.tvline.com/reviews/sugar-review-colin-farrell-apple-tv-plus-detective-drama-1235193163/) • [6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/sugar-season-2-colin-farrells-disastrous-tv-show-pulls-off-shocking-180) He works missing-persons cases because of lingering trauma over the abduction, and possible murder, of his sister.[6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/sugar-season-2-colin-farrells-disastrous-tv-show-pulls-off-shocking-180)
The first season's central case begins in Tokyo, where Sugar rescues the kidnapped offspring of a Yakuza boss before returning to the United States and his boss, Ruby (Kirby, formerly credited as [Kirby Howell-Baptiste](https://www.edgepedia.org/kirby-howell-baptiste)). He has picked up a new job: movie producer Jonathan Siegel ([James Cromwell](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-cromwell)) hires him to find his missing granddaughter, Olivia (Sydney Chandler). As Sugar investigates, he unearths Siegel family secrets, some recent and others long buried.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/apr/05/sugar-review-colin-farrell-private-detective-drama-is-a-disaster) • [1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apples-highly-anticipated-noir-detective-series-sugar-starring-and-executive-produced-by-academy-award-nominee-colin-farrell-to-make-global-debut-friday-april-5-on-apple-tv/) The season's episodes include "Olivia," "These People, These Places," "Shibuya Crossing," "Starry-Eyed," "Boy in the Corner," and "Go Home."[7](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/sugar/umc.cmc.4r6q7tdquewehwvb3rzl0k3dt)
### The genre twist
The series was marketed and initially received as a straightforward neo-noir detective story, a contemporary take on the private detective genre.[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apples-highly-anticipated-noir-detective-series-sugar-starring-and-executive-produced-by-academy-award-nominee-colin-farrell-to-make-global-debut-friday-april-5-on-apple-tv/) In its sixth of eight episodes, the show reveals that John Sugar is not human: he is a blue-skinned alien operating clandestinely alongside fellow extraterrestrials who came to Earth to observe and report on human behavior. By the end of the season, the other aliens are forced to flee the planet after their cover is blown, leaving Sugar behind.[6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/sugar-season-2-colin-farrells-disastrous-tv-show-pulls-off-shocking-180) • [10](https://frame70.com/reviews/ep-31-sugar/)
The twist divided critics. *The Guardian* called the mid-series reveal maddening and the series derivative, while still crediting Farrell's performance as nearly carrying the show.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/apr/05/sugar-review-colin-farrell-private-detective-drama-is-a-disaster) Common Sense Media judged that the series was a little too dependent on one big reveal.[11](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/sugar-0) Others argued the reveal recontextualized the character rather than changing the show: Sugar's alien status becomes one element of a character obsessed with classic cinema, and the series retains its noir identity afterward.[12](https://elpais.com/television/series/2026-06-22/sugar-como-superar-un-giro-que-cambia-tu-serie-por-completo.html) On Metacritic, season 1 scored 67.[2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/sugar/)
### Season 2
Apple renewed *Sugar* for a second season in October 2024.[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/crime-shows/sugar-season-2-trailer/) Sam Catlin, creator of AMC's *Preacher*, took over as showrunner, and the season premiered on June 19, 2026.[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/crime-shows/sugar-season-2-trailer/) With the alien secret no longer concealed, the second season presents Sugar openly as a science-fiction noir figure. The new case has Sugar searching for the missing older brother of an up-and-coming local boxer while continuing his search for his own sister, and the investigation expands into a city-wide conspiracy; new cast members include [Jin Ha](https://www.edgepedia.org/jin-ha), Raymond Lee, Tony Dalton, Laura Donnelly, Sasha Calle, and [Shea Whigham](https://www.edgepedia.org/shea-whigham).[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/crime-shows/sugar-season-2-trailer/) Reviewers found the second season more confident and coherent than the first: the *Los Angeles Times* noted that the camerawork and editing settled down under new director of photography Marshall Adams, and Metacritic recorded a season 2 score of 73 against season 1's 67.[14](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-06-19/sugar-season-two-review-colin-farrell-apple) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/sugar/)
## Production
Filming ran from August 2022 to December 2022.[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16418808/locations/) Mark Protosevich created the series and executive produces alongside Colin Farrell, Sam Catlin, Scott Greenberg, and Chip Vucelich; Audrey Chon and [Simon Kinberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-kinberg) executive produce for Genre Films under Kinberg's overall deal with Apple TV+, their second series for the platform after *Invasion*. [Fernando Meirelles](https://www.edgepedia.org/fernando-meirelles) directed and executive produced, with [Adam Arkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-arkin) as director and co-executive producer.[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twvPGxuEOEA) The series received an Emmy nomination for Best Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half Hour).[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/crime-shows/sugar-season-2-trailer/)
## References
1. [Apple TV Press: Apple's noir detective series "Sugar," starring and executive produced by Colin Farrell, to make global debut Friday, April 5 on Apple TV+ (February 5, 2024)](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apples-highly-anticipated-noir-detective-series-sugar-starring-and-executive-produced-by-academy-award-nominee-colin-farrell-to-make-global-debut-friday-april-5-on-apple-tv/)
2. [Sugar Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/sugar/)
3. [GamesRadar+: New Sugar season 2 trailer sees Colin Farrell return to solve another dangerous mystery (May 28, 2026)](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/crime-shows/sugar-season-2-trailer/)
4. [Sugar | Official Trailer | Apple TV+ (YouTube description)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twvPGxuEOEA)
5. [MooveeDB: Sugar (2024) cast and episode counts](https://mooveedb.com/tv/2024/sugar-203744)
6. [The Daily Beast: Colin Farrell's 'Sugar' Finds Its Footing in Season 2 (June 19, 2026)](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/sugar-season-2-colin-farrells-disastrous-tv-show-pulls-off-shocking-180)
7. [Watch Sugar, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/sugar/umc.cmc.4r6q7tdquewehwvb3rzl0k3dt)
8. [TVLine: 'Sugar' Review: Colin Farrell Delivers A Sweet Blast Of Retro Sleuthing (March 27, 2024)](https://www.tvline.com/reviews/sugar-review-colin-farrell-apple-tv-plus-detective-drama-1235193163/)
9. [The Guardian: Sugar review, Colin Farrell's private detective drama is a disaster (April 5, 2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/apr/05/sugar-review-colin-farrell-private-detective-drama-is-a-disaster)
10. [Frame 70: Sugar (2024) review](https://frame70.com/reviews/ep-31-sugar/)
11. [Common Sense Media: Sugar Parents' Guide & TV Review](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/sugar-0)
12. [El País: 'Sugar', ¿cómo superar un giro que cambia tu serie por completo? (June 22, 2026)](https://elpais.com/television/series/2026-06-22/sugar-como-superar-un-giro-que-cambia-tu-serie-por-completo.html)
13. [IMDb: Sugar filming and production locations](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16418808/locations/)
14. [Los Angeles Times: 'Sugar' review: Colin Farrell neo-noir levels up for Season 2 (June 19, 2026)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-06-19/sugar-season-two-review-colin-farrell-apple)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series › Police and detective procedurals*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license