When Top of the Lake first aired in the U.S. in 2013, it was one of the heralds of the "Slow TV" movement, as well as a series that helped establish SundanceTV as purveyors of intriguing, often international television. Created by Jane Campion, Top of the Lake was conceived of as a crime-focused miniseries, but its popularity and unique female vision begged for more. While Season 1 was set in the New Zealand wilds, Season 2 (titled "China Girl") is now back in Sydney, the home of its protagonist, Detective Robin Griffith (Elisabeth Moss).

Moss was already pretty well known to audiences for Mad Men in 2013, but she's now also starring in Hulu's exceptional (and difficult) series The Handmaid's Tale. It is the year of Moss, and I embrace it! There's also another Hulu connection -- SundanceTV has announced that new episodes of the series (which is set to premiere in September) will be available on the streaming platform the day after they air.

Check out the first trailer for Top of the Lake: China Girl below:

 

This time around, Moss will be joined by Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie as well as Nicole Kidman (who needs no introduction, but was mostly recently on HBO's Big Little Lies). Like the first season, Robin will again be plagued by darkness in her personal life as she attempts to uncover a syndicate murdering Asian girls, hoping to rescue young women as she searches for a daughter she gave up at birth.

Campion has created such a unique and atmospheric series with Top of the Lake, and I really can't wait for it to return. It will get a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, but otherwise look for it this fall (and we'll let you know when a premiere date has been set).

For now, here is the official Season 2 synopsis:

“Top of the Lake: China Girl” is a crime mystery story that finds Detective Robin Griffin recently returned to Sydney and trying to rebuild her life. When the body of an Asian girl washes up on Bondi Beach, there appears little hope of finding the killer, until Robin realizes “China Girl” didn’t die alone. Robin looks to the investigation to restore herself, but her problems are personal. Haunted by a daughter given up at birth, Robin desperately wants to find her, yet dreads revealing the truth of her conception. But her search to discover “China Girl’s” identity will take her into the city’s darkest recesses and closer than she could have imagined to the secrets of her own heart.