Tokyo Vice Renewed for Season 2 by HBO Max

HBO Max has announced that their original drama series Tokyo Vice will return for a second season. The series hails from Endeavor Content and WOWOW, Japan’s leading premium pay TV broadcaster, and premiered its first episodes earlier this spring. The series stars Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Godzilla) and Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver, West Side Story) leading the ensemble cast that also includes Rachel Keller (FX’s Fargo and Legion), Hideaki Itō (Sukiyaki Western Django), Ella Rumpf (Succession, Raw), Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim, Babel), and Tomohisa Yamashita. 

For those unaware the series’ official description from HBO Max reads as follows: “Loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction, first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat, the crime drama series, filmed on location in Tokyo, captures Adelstein’s (played by Ansel Elgort) daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo in the late 90s, where nothing and no one is truly what or who they seem.”

“We could not be more excited to bring the passionate fans of the show another season to continue this intriguing and suspenseful crime story set in one of the most vibrant and beautiful cities in the world,” Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max said in a statement.

Creator J.T. Rogers added, “Writing and then making the first season of TOKYO VICE with this remarkable group of artists was a matchless experience. So I’m over the moon that we get to keep going. I can’t wait to get back to work in Tokyo with our brilliant cast and crew. Stay tuned: there are twists and turns in the tale to come!”

“The phenomenal viewer response in both the U.S. and Japan has been so gratifying,” said Executive Producer Alan Poul quote. “Making the show, and keeping it authentic, has been a genuine labor of love on the part of our dedicated cast and crew, and we’re thrilled to be able to carry the story forward.”

The series has earned an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a “Certified Fresh” distinction,” with the critical consensu reading: “Tokyo Vice’s protagonist is its least interesting element, but the intrigue of Japan’s underworld and the verisimilitude of its setting make for a seductive slice of neon noir.” As of tomorrow, Thursday, April 26, all eight episodes of Tokyo Vice are now streaming on HBO Max.