Richard Madden remains hopeful that Bodyguard season 2 will still come together. There has been a delay in the show's renewal confirmation but the actor said that this type of setback may be a good thing for the hit series.
Speaking with Deadline, Madden revealed that he initially thought Bodyguard would be a one-off series with a proper beginning, middle and an end. However, show creator Jed Mercurio approached him to discuss the second season when Bodyguard became an instant hit.
Launched last August 2018, Bodyguard was the most-watched show in BBC with a viewership of 10.4 million. The last time the network had those numbers was in 2008 and the series even raked more viewership when it became available on Netflix worldwide in December 2018.
But Bodyguard season 2 isn't expected to be back on the screen as soon as BBC does confirm the series renewal. Madden said that the delay will work in favor of the show since his character, the bodyguard David Budd, will need some time to move on from what happened to him in the first season.
"One thing in particularity that me and Jed discussed straight after the show came was that 'let's not rush this,'" Madden said, as per Digital Spy. "I think, with the nature of the story, to have this gap where you let David grow a bit, I think it's going to be really useful."
Another reason why Bodyguard season 2 can't be rushed is because of Mercurio's other commitments with BBC. The writer and producer's current focus is the latest season of Line of Duty.
Mercurio also said that there's a lot of logistics to consider in terms of planning Bodyguard season 2 and that's where they are at the moment. He also added that if the planning goes well, the show could likely become a four-season series.
The first season of Bodyguard went into production in October 2017 and premiered on BBC in August the following year. If season 2 follows the same pattern and starts filming in the fall of 2019, then the next installment could be ready for the screen by fall 2020.
Bodyguard centers on a former war hero with PTSD, David Budd, who has been assigned to protect the Home Secretary, Julia Montague. He doesn't believe in her politics but continued to perform his duties until an unfortunate incident happened.
The first season, which ran for six episodes, may still be streamed on Netflix.
