When will 'All Rise' Season 2 return? We hope it reflects the turmoil raging in America right now
With fall nearly upon us it is time to discuss when our favorite shows will return. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, many shows had to shut down their ongoing seasons earlier than expected in March this year and it is more than likely that their return dates have been delayed as well. But worry not. For the most part, production studios have figured out a way to set up safety procedures and resume production safely, so we have a tentative return date (if not already confirmed ones) for most shows.
One of these shows is CBS's 'All Rise', the legal drama which premiered in 2019 boasting a lineup as diverse as we had ever seen on the network. Simone Missick stars as Lola Carmichael, who had been newly appointed as a judge. Lola was a defendant-friendly judge who aimed to make only fair decisions. The cast also included Wilson Bethel starring as Lola's best friend as well as Deputy District Attorney Mark Callan, Jessica Camacho as public defender Emily Lopez, J. Alex Brinson as Deputy Sheriff Luke Watkins who became a lawyer over the course of the first season, and is now a clerk with the District Attorney's office, Marg Helgenberger as Judge Lisa Benner who acts as Lola's mentor, and Lindsey Gort as lawyer Amy Quinn who begins to date Mark partway through the season.
Where we left off
As mentioned before, 'All Rise' closed out its freshman season with a virtual episode as all of our favorite characters brought out their personal and professional lives through the comfort of teleconferencing. The first season of 'All Rise' mainly dealt with Lola's career as a judge, so the personal lives of most of the characters were spread out through the season.
By the end of Season 1, Lola's marriage to FBI agent Robin Taylor (Todd Williams) could be in trouble given that he is based in DC while she is based in Los Angeles. Other relationships on the show, however, are thriving. Emily and Luke had a bit of a bump in the middle -- especially with Emily suffering from stress and other mental health issues -- but we saw the pair have a cute virtual date. Mark and Amy, meanwhile, have decided to move in together when the couple decides to quarantine together.
What we would like to see
For the most part, we get very few glimpses into Lola's marriage on the show. We see her interact with her colleagues and her friends, and even occasionally her mother. Since we do not see much of Robin, it's a side of Lola we ponder. 'All Rise' could benefit so much from exploring that marriage in detail.
The other main star, if you will, of 'All Rise' is certainly Emily who had improved upon her legal skills and self-confidence in Season 1. While we understand that the breakup of her marriage formed the crux of everything she had been going through, we want to see the opposite with Emily -- where she truly moves forward and leaves her broken marriage in the past.
Of course, something we expect 'All Rise' will be doing but is worth mentioning anyway is that we hope 'All Rise' continues to reflect the world as it is. In its first season, the drama did just that. This year will be much more difficult with the pandemic and the Black Lives Matters protests, and, of course, the raging wildfires. Let's hope that 'All Rise' is able to accurately and justifyingly reflect these real-life events.
When is it returning
The last episode for the CBS legal drama aired May 4 after the show took the opportunity to reflect the pandemic when Lola presides over a virtual bench trial. While that was fun and helped close out the premiere season, we expect 'All Rise' to return in full swing. According to CBS Entertainment chief Kelly Kahl's statement to TVLine, previously announced fall series will be potentially available in November this year. We expect 'All Rise' to be one of the shows that will return with a new season (the second for 'All Rise') sometime in November 2020.
