Few TV series have had a bigger bait-and-switch in terms of premise than Sugar. The series premiered in 2024 and seemed to be a straightforward detective noir.
Colin Farrell starred as John Sugar, a Los Angeles private detective. He had a big case, a network of support, and a cool look. But about halfway through that first season, we got a switch-up. As we learned, Sugar, and most of his friends, were aliens. They were there on a secret mission.
And towards the end of the first season, their secret was discovered. As a result, it was time to leave Earth and head home. But Sugar still had questions, so he didn’t end up making the trip. As we pick up season 2, with the premier “Home Away From Home,” Sugar is all alone. He’s still seeking answers, and he’s still taking cases.
Answers denied
Sugar stayed to figure out what happened to his sister. That meant finding Henry (Jason Butler Harner), who was once a friend but turns out to have cracked. Sugar stays not only for his sister, but because Henry and his experiments are his responsibility. We don’t have to wait long for their reunion.
In the opening moments, Sugar finds Henry. He’s badly injured and on the cusp of death. He passes away before Sugar can get any answers about his sister. While Henry is no longer a threat, Sugar is once again adrift. He has no answers. He has no support system. And he has no center. So, he heads back to Los Angeles.
A new case
Sugar slips back into his old routines. He’s hoping to find some sense of a new normal. He sends out a coded message in case anyone else stayed behind, but he’s focused on making Earth his home—or so it seems. That means finding a new case to dig into. It’s not long before he gets a call that refers him to Danny Moon (Jin Ha), a fighter with a problem.
Turns out Danny is worried about his brother—Ji (Raymond Lee)—who has gone missing. Sugar latches on to the case and begins to dig in. That takes him to Koreatown, where he pounds the pavement to find some information. After winning a game of pool, he gets a lead. But in the process, his car is taken.
A mysterious woman (Sasha Calle) offers to find it for a small fee. Sugar pays the fee and gets the car back. But something tells me this isn’t the last time he’s going to see her. He heads to follow his clue.
The clue takes Sugar to a nearby hospital and a nurse, Hannah McDaniels (Nora Parker Johnson). He’s been told Hannah is Ji’s girlfriend, but it turns out she was just a connection for him. She made it so Ji could sneak into the drug locker in the hospital, where he packed up supplies and headed out. So, Sugar knows that Ji was out, running wild, with a thermos full of drugs. That can’t mean anything good.
The second case
Meanwhile, Sugar has other things on his mind. He’s about to close a deal for a house in the hills. It’s a beautiful house linked to Hollywood history, which is in keeping with Sugar’s interests, but that’s not the only reason he picked the place.
The house also has a view of Ryan Pavich’s father. Sugar knows Pavich was the key to people learning about his people’s existence. While he’s committed to finding Ji Moon, he also wants answers. What went wrong? How did his people get found out? And why did they have to leave? Sugar is on the case.
I thought moving to a season 2 where the rest of the aliens left would be a reset. Many were drawn to the detective noir aspect of the series, and it seemed like this could be a welcome return. But the reveal of a second case at the end indicates we’re not done with the alien storyline. That makes it feel like the series will be living in two worlds again. I still like Farrell in the lead role, but I’m curious to see how this narrative will evolve.
Sugar streams Fridays on Apple TV. Check back next week as we recap the action of the second season.
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