Ella Purnell's Returning 6-Part Crime Thriller Is 'Dexter Meets Breaking Bad' With A Twist
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While Ella Purnell's "Dexter meets Breaking Bad" crime thriller series isn't her most famous show, it's certainly one of her best — and it's coming back for a second season. With notable credits like Fallout, Arcane, and Yellowjackets, Purnell is one of today's most versatile actresses, and it's clear that she's not afraid to go dark in her work.
However, while her Yellowjackets character, Jackie, saw her as a victim of human darkness, Purnell's protagonist in Sweetpea is a perpetrator of it. The British crime thriller series, which premiered on Sky Atlantic in 2024, centers on Rhiannon Lewis (Purnell), a meek and overlooked administrative assistant who snaps and experiences a revelation that she has a penchant and talent for murder — and Rhiannon's sights are on her former school bully, who has come back into her life.
This premise shares blatant similarities to Dexter — like Dexter Morgan, Rhiannon is a highly selective serial killer who only targets people "who deserve it" — but Sweetpea is also a lot like Breaking Bad in that it tells the origin story of an unassuming, unremarkable person's descent into villainy. In fact, Sweetpea season 1 serves as a prequel to the events of CJ Skuse's 2017 novel the show is based on. With Sweetpea returning for season 2 in November 2026, now's the perfect time to acquaint yourself with the crimes of Rhiannon Lewis.
Sweetpea's Rhiannon Isn't Like Other Killer Protagonists
Typically, in shows centered on serial killers, the protagonists are already experienced in their craft when introduced in the pilot episode, whether that's Dexter Morgan or You's Joe Goldberg. When we first meet Rhiannon Lewis in Sweetpea, the idea of murder is the furthest thing from her mind, just like how Walter White doesn't have the slightest inkling of becoming a drug kingpin at the start of Breaking Bad.
However, Walt's terminal cancer diagnosis leads to the sobering realization that, as a struggling high school chemistry teacher forced to work a second job, he'll have nothing to leave his wife, teenage son, and unborn child. The other shoe drops when Walt sees the staggering amount of cash seized from a meth lab while on a ride-along with his DEA agent brother-in-law.
In Sweetpea, Rhiannon's earth-shattering incident is the death of her father, followed by a series of unfortunate events that culminate in a demeaning reunion with her high school tormentor. Following the confrontation, a humiliated Rhiannon is "accidentally" urinated on by a drunk man on her walk home. She impulsively stabs him and disposes of his body in a nearby canal, and just like that, a killer is born.
Whereas Walt's criminal activities are borne from a calculated decision, Rhiannon's are a reaction to being pushed too far one too many times. In terms of TV antiheroes, Walter White became Tony Soprano; Rhiannon became Dexter Morgan.
Sweetpea Season 2 Is Happening, But Expect It To Be Different
Rhiannon Lewis is officially returning for more murderous misadventures, but Sweetpea season 2 will be a major departure from what we've seen before. Season 1 was Rhiannon's origin story, but season 2 will see her dealing with the consequences of her crimes, both internally and externally.
Rhiannon's biggest threat in season 2 will be a new copycat killer attempting to expose her, but the antiheroine is still reeling from her boyfriend calling her a monster upon discovering her secrets in the Sweetpea season 1 finale. A life of crime may have its thrills, but it's not easy — a lesson Rhiannon will learn come Sweetpea season 2's premiere in November.
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