DIRTY JOHN Season 2 “Betty” is beginning on Netflix – except in the US. A new true crime case is being covered with eight new episodes and a brand new cast with brilliant performances. Especially from Amanda Peet in the seasonal title role. You’ll be hooked immediately! Read our Dirty John season 2 review here!

DIRTY JOHN Season 2 is titled “Betty” and begins on Netflix now. The season is named for the main character just as the series itself is named after the main character from season 1. When finding season 2 on Netflix, you need to look for the name “Betty” and not “Season 2”.

Recommended reading: Check out our review of Dirty John season 1 here >

A new season means a new cast, but Connie Britton (who played one of the lead characters of season 1) is still on board as a producer. And don’t worry, this new cast is at least as awesome as the one from the first season of the series.

Continue reading our Dirty John season 2 review below.

A powerful true crime anthology series

The fact that each season has its own story and cast is a concept we’re also familiar with from The Sinner. In fact, they do exactly the same thing of naming each season after its main character. We also know this concept from other genre productions such as American Horror Story and True Detective. Of course, American Horror Story tends to keep much of the cast on board, but the actors usually play new characters.

With Dirty John season 2 we’re dealing with a true crime case where Betty Broderick plays the key role. She is portrayed by Amanda Peet who is simply brilliant! Her facial expressions are priceless and you never actually need her to speak in order to know exactly how she feels. I’ve always liked Amanda Peet, but seeing her as Betty Broderick is next level in my opinion.

After watching episode 1, you won’t be sure exactly how everything is connected and why Betty Broderick seems so strung out. However, after watching episode 2, you should definitely have a pretty good idea.

If you’ve watched season 1 of Dirty John you’ll know that we’ll be spending the remaining episodes learning how and when everything went wrong. Scratching at the varnish and continually getting a layer deeper into the characters and their relationships. Betty has tried her best to do all the right things. Experiencing how her parents and her ex-husband treats her, things begin making a lot more sense.

Dirty John Season 2: The Betty Broderick Story – Netflix Review

Amanda Peet is a revelation

As already stated, I have always enjoyed watching Amanda Peet portray various characters. From comedy to drama and in several genre productions. She has quite a long and impressive career in both film and television. From movies such as 2012 (2009) and the awesome Identity (2003) to a lot of loved TV series.

Everything from Jack & Jill (1999-2001) to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip  (2006-2007) and more recently the HBO series TogethernessIf you look up these series on IMDb, you’ll quickly notice that while they might be short-lived, they have extremely high ratings. And deserves them!

As her estranged (later ex) husband, Dan Broderick, we see Christian Slater. He’s done great in TV series recently, where especially Mr. Robot showed some very interesting portrayals. In Dirty John he does a great job, but this really is about Amanda Peet’s “Betty”.

We also see young versions of Betty and Dan, who are portrayed by Tiera Skovbye and Chris Mason respectively. Both young actors do amazing jobs at mimicking the facial expressions and voices of Amanda Peet and Christian Slater. Always in a believable way and not as some strange imitation. This means the time jumps work very effortlessly.

Later on, we also meet Linda Kolkena who is portrayed by Rachel Keller. You might recognize her the movie In the Shadow of the Moon (2019) or series such as Legion or Fargo.

Watch Dirty John “Betty” (season 2) on Netflix!

The main protagonist, Betty Broderick, is, of course, a real person and not just a “character”. Dirty John is a series where each season covers a true crime from the real world. The story from season 1 can also be seen in the documentary Dirty John: The Dirty Truth which is well worth watching.

You might like: The documentary about John Meehan from season 1 of Dirty John here >

I haven’t watched any documentaries about Betty Broderick, but after watching season 2 of Dirty John, I certainly want to!

If you liked the first season of Dirty John, then you definitely want to check out season 2 as well. The cast is absolutely stellar and the story is amazing. While being based on a true story, the series obviously also has a lot of fiction. However, the facts of this true-crime remain and is the base of the season. You should be hooked from episode one, so just throw yourself into it headfirst!

Dirty John Season 2 “Betty” premieres on Netflix worldwide (outside the US) from August 14, 2020. It will then be added to Netflix in the US from May 31, 2021.

Details

Creator: Alexandra Cunningham
Stars: Christian Slater, Amanda Peet, Rachel Keller, Michael Rispoli

Plot

Dirty John Season 2: The Betty Broderick Story is set in 1980s. Housewife Betty thinks she can’t be divorced by her rich lawyer husband Dan without her consent. She’s wrong.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
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