Detective Jay Swan is back on the case. “Mystery Road: Origin,” the prequel series to 2013 film “Mystery Road,” its 2016 sequel “Goldstone” and the TV continuation also called “Mystery Road,” has unveiled the trailer for its second season.
With Mark Coles Smith returning as the younger version of Indigenous police officer Swan, the ABC drama’s sophomore run is set six months after its first season, at Easter 2000. When its protagonist and his partner Mary (Tuuli Narkle) relocate to the timber town of Loch Iris on her mother’s Country — giving the series leafy surroundings, a departure from the Australian franchise’s usual outback backdrop — a new crime soon demands Swan’s attention while also cutting close to home.
“Mystery Road: Origin” initially premiered in 2022 after two seasons of “Mystery Road” in 2018 and 2020. Its second season debuts on Sunday, September 21, 2025, including streaming in full via ABC iView.
Taking the franchise started by filmmaker Ivan Sen, and the character first portrayed by Aaron Pedersen, back in time, “Mystery Road: Origin” picked up seven AACTA Awards for its debut outing, including for Best Drama Series, Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Coles Smith and Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Narkle.
Before its small-screen release, the show will premiere a preview of the new season to open CinefestOZ’s 2025 program at Busselton in Western Australia at the end of August.
“Sweet As” filmmaker Jub Clerc and “Mystery Road” Season 2’s Wayne Blair direct, with the season penned by an entirely First Nations writing team of Steven McGregor, Jada Alberts, Erica Glynn, Samuel Paynter and Gary Hamaguchi.
Alongside Coles Smith and Narkle, Robyn Malcolm, Clarence Ryan, Geoff Morrell, Nicholas Bell, Luke Carroll, Helen Morse, Aswan Reid, Steve Le Marquand, Pippa Grandison, Rarriwuy Hick, Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Tammy Lee Rock, Marley Sharp, Alex Malone, Greg Tait and Eloise Hart co-star.
Watch the trailer below: