After a successful first season in which it became their highest-rated drama series ever, BBC America is bringing back Copper for a second season, and if the additions to the cast are any indication, the series is definitely raising its game, adding two Oz legends, an Oscar nominated actress, and veteran actor Donal Logue (Logue is the new Heather Locklear of cable dramas, having been added to The Vikings and Sons of Anarchy, as well as Copper in the last year).
The second season picks up in February of 1865, following the Confederate Army of Manhattans second attempt to burn down Five Points at the end of last season. Meanwhile, a career criminal is terrorizing the Sixth Ward, where Bedlam already reigns. While we don’t know yet exactly where season two will take us, the last two episodes will feature Billy Baldwin, who joins the cast as “Wild Bill” Eustace, a tough and charming Tammany Hall fixer. The second season kicks off on Sunday at 10/9c, but before you dig back in to the series, get to know the cast by remembering where you’ve seen them before.
(This feature has been sponsored by BBC America’s Copper.)
Donal Logue is the newest member of the cast, as he will now be juggling that with his duties on Sons of Anarchy. Of course, we know him from Life, Terriers, Grounded for Life, and as MTV’s Jimmy the Cab driver (he’s also currently on The Vikings).
Ato Essandoh, who plays Matthew Freeman, an African-American physician, has also been around for about a decade, in bit parts. He may be familiar from Django Unchained, but he’s probably most famous for having been declared dead in an Internet death hoax.
Franka Potente , who plays Eva Heissen, the brother madam, is probably the most famous series regular, best known for her role in the outstanding Run Lola Run, as well as Bourne Identity.
Tom Weston-Jones, who plays the lead, Kevin “Corky” Corcoran, in Copper was, before that, in the final season of the British series, Spooks (or MI:5), which is much like America’s 24, except that Spooks makes Jack Bauer look like a squealing ninny.
Kyle Schmid, plays Robert Morehouse, the son of a wealthy industrialist. He’s been a working actor for over a decade, mostly in smaller roles like Pacifier, A History of Violence, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and he’s recurring in the American version of Being Human. I know him best from Arrow.
Anastasia Griffith plays Elizabeth Haverford, a wealthy wife and a friend of Morehouse. She’s better known in England for a 2004 TV movie, Dirty Filthy Love (and she also dated actor Michael Sheen) but in America you may remember her from the short-lived American series, Trauma, or — where I remember her from — a stint on Damages.
Tessa Thompson plays Sara Freeman, the wife of the physician, whose brothers were lynched by an Irish mob. She will definitely be familiar to Veronica Mars fans as Wallace’s girlfriend, Jackie Cooke.
James Gilbert guested on Copper as John Wilkes Booth. He was also in The Tudors.
Alfre Woodard is an Oscar nominated actress, for her supporting role in 1984’s Cross Creek. She’s new to season two of Copper, and is probably best known, of late, for recurring roles in Desperate Housewives and True Blood.
Most people know Eamonn Walker, who is joining the second season of Copper from his outstanding turn on Oz.
Another Oz veteran, Lee Terguson, is also joining the cast in season two. Copper creator, Tom Fontana, was also behind Oz.
