Exactly what is the Geist Group cooking up and administering to war veterans trying to reacclimate to civilian life? Apparently, it and other things compelled Walter (Stephan James) and his social worker Heidi (Julia Roberts) to fly the coop. When both were last seen, she had found him living an unassuming life in an unassuming town. Unfortunately, Walter’s quiet existence is about to be disturbed. A new veteran named Jackie (Janelle Monáe) is about to come knocking at his door. She wants answers, and their collective search to get them will—no doubt—serve as one storyline in the second season of “Homecoming.”
The series is based on the podcast of the same name created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg. Both men also serve as executive producers, along with Roberts and others. Directing the follow-up season’s 10 episodes is Kyle Patrick Alvarez who also helmed 2015’s “The Stanford Prison Experiment.”
Monáe (“Moonlight” & “Harriet”) steps into the lead female role after—presumably—Robert’s Heidi set out on her own answer-seeking journey between seasons. Two more new faces in season two are Oscar winner Chris Cooper (“Adaptation”) as Geist CEO Leonard Geist and Oscar nominee Joan Cusack (“Working Girl” & “In & Out”). All join returning cast members James (“If Beale Street Could Talk & “Race”) and Hong Chau (“Downsizing” & “Inherent Vice”) who plays Audrey, a Geist employee rapidly climbing the corporate ladder.
Here’s the synopsis:
The critically-acclaimed series Homecoming returns for its second season with new twists and an exciting new star, Janelle Monáe. Her character wakes in a rowboat adrift a lake, with no memory of how she got there — or even who she is. Her ensuing search for identity will lead her into the heart of the Geist Group, the unconventional wellness company behind the Homecoming Initiative.
Season two of “Homecoming”—an Amazon Prime Video original—is set to be released on May 22. Will Walter and Jackie find Geist’s recipe for “success?” Check out the trailer below and find any clues you can.