Wentworth (season 2)

The second season of the crime drama television series Wentworth premiered on SoHo in Australia on May 20, 2014. It was executively produced by Fremantle Media's director of drama, Jo Porter. The season consisted of 12 episodes.

The second season picks up three months after Bea Smith murdered Jacs Holt while she was suffering in the slot and Franky Doyle rose to the position of top dog unopposed. However, the introduction of a new governor, Joan Ferguson, leads to much drama within the season. This season averaged IMDB rating 8.4-9.5, and got a few nominations, and awards.

Cast

Episodes

Production

Wentworth was commissioned for a second season on 5 June 2013. The executive director of Foxtel Television, Brian Walsh, stated of the renewal, "Wentworth's bold storytelling has attracted a record-breaking response from our Foxtel customers. This drama, tailor-made for Australian subscription television, is capturing local and international attention sparked by its prisoner heritage." The director of production company, Fremantle Media Australia, and executive producer of Wentworth, Jo Porter, stated, "We have assembled an extraordinary team of writers who can't wait to get started on season two. We have so many more stories to tell."

Filming

Filming for the 12-part second season began on a purposely built set in Clayton, Victoria, Melbourne on 23 September 2013 and wrapped on 13 February 2014.

Crew

Amanda Crittenden stayed on as Wentworth's producer. Kevin Carlin and Catherine Millar will return as directors and will be joined by Pino Amenta, Steve Jodrell, and Dee McLachlan. Marcia Gardner will become the script producer and be a part of the writing team alongside Tim Hobart, Pete McTighe, and John Ridley.

Casting

It was revealed that iconic Prisoner character Joan "The Freak" Ferguson, a sinister lesbian prison officer, would be introduced in the second season. Porter commented, "Prisoner offered up a very rich well of amazing characters to draw upon, and the Wentworth writers are very excited about revisiting the character of prison officer Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson in our second season." On 21 September 2013, it was confirmed that Pamela Rabe had been cast as Joan Ferguson.

Kris McQuade (Jacs Holt), Catherine McClements (Meg Jackson), and Leeanna Walsman (Erica Davidson) did not reprise their respective roles for the second season. Katrina Milosevic, who portrays Sue "Boomer" Jenkins, was upgraded to the main cast, as was Rabe.

Reception

Ratings

Accolades

AACTA Awards (2015)

• Nominated: AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama — Danielle Cormack (Episode 11: "Into the Night")

ASTRA Awards (2015)

• Won: Most Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor — Danielle Cormack
• Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor — Celia Ireland
• Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor — Nicole da Silva
• Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor — Pamela Rabe
• Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor — Aaron Jeffery
• Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor — Robbie Magasiva
• Won: Most Outstanding Drama — Wentworth

Australian Directors Guild (2015)

• Nominated: Best Direction in a TV Drama Series — Kevin Carlin (Episode 11: "Into the Night")

Australian Writers' Guild Awards (2015)

• Nominated: Best Script for a Television Series — Pete McTighe (Episode 12: "Fear Her")

Logie Awards (2015)

• Won: Most Outstanding Drama Series — Wentworth
• Won: Most Outstanding Actress — Danielle Cormack
• Nominated: Most Outstanding Actress — Nicole da Silva

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