Jennifer Garner and company will return for the second season, which is based on the newly announced sequel to author Laura Dave’s best-selling novel.

Jennifer Garner in The Last Thing He Told Me APPLE TV+

It turns out that there’s more to say when it comes to The Last Thing He Told Me.

Despite being conceived and pitched as a limited series, Apple has doled out a second-season renewal for its drama series based on Laura Dave’s best-selling novel. Season two will be based on the author’s newly announced sequel to her book of the same name. The latter is set to be published in 2025, ahead of the show’s return. Dave’s sequel has already been optioned by producers 20th Television.

Stars Jennifer Garner, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Angourie Rice and David Morse will all return for the second season of the series from Disney’s 20th TV and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner. TV vet Aaron Zelman, who wrote on his brother’s co-creation Damages and later co-created a series of his own in AMC’s Lucky Hank, has also boarded the series as co-showrunner and exec producer alongside Oscar winner (and Dave’s husband) Josh Singer.

 “Like so many people, I fell for Hannah on page one of Laura Dave’s gripping novel,” said star and executive producer Garner. “The move to actor and producer from reader and super fan was delicious — and made even sweeter by collaborating with Laura, Josh, Reese and everyone at Hello Sunshine, as well as the amazing teams at Apple and 20th. Being part of this group, not to mention part of such a stellar cast, was a career highlight for me. I’m thrilled to get to tell more of Hannah’s story — I couldn’t have said yes more quickly to season two! These characters and their story mean so much to me, as I know they do to the many who have championed our show; we’re excited to give audiences even more with this next chapter.”

Ordered straight to series in December 2020, Garner took over the lead role that was originally earmarked for Julia Roberts after the Pretty Woman alum encountered scheduling conflicts that forced her to exit the drama. In a series of interviews, Garner has revealed how she went on a letter-writing campaign to win the role, which she wasn’t sure she’d be approached about otherwise. “I’m not like Hannah, my character, but I felt like I needed to play her — like there were things in my life that I could play out through her,” the actress told THR last spring, adding: “And I wanted to check out what it would be like to be more still, more calm, less extra than I am naturally. I didn’t see myself as someone who would be considered for the role, and so sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands.”

Season one of Last Thing launched in April to lackluster reviews, with only a 49 on MetaCritic and The Hollywood Reporter TV critic Angie Han describing the show as “polished but insipid” in her review. Still, viewers tuned in. The thriller quickly became the service’s most-watched limited series ever, reportedly reaching 4.5 million unique viewers in its first month of streaming. Before long, Dave began being asked about a season 2, and her answer became: “Now whenever I’m writing I see Jen’s face, which is a very nice face to see, but it makes me feel like Hannah’s story is not done.” (In the year since season one’s conclusion, Dave has announced a new, separate novel, The Night We Lost Him, which she and Singer will adapt as a film for Netflix.)

“Working with Jennifer Garner, Angourie Rice and Nickolaj Coster-Waldau has been fantastic in every way, and Laura and I are thrilled to reunite with them as well as Reese, Lauren and the incredible teams at Hello Sunshine, 20th Television, Apple TV+, and the entire cast and crew,” said Singer, who was recently nominated for another Academy Award for co-writing Maestro and has several other high-profile projects on his plate. “We’re thrilled Aaron Zelman is joining us to help lead our show as we dive into the exciting new season.”

Last Thing is one of the multiple shows Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has at Apple. It joins The Morning Show, Surface and competition series My Kind of Country. 

“The Last Thing He Told Me quickly became so beloved by global audiences, and we’re incredibly excited to expand the world of Laura’s bestselling novel, alongside this amazing creative team led by Reese and Jennifer,” said Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+. “Season two will take viewers on an even more exhilarating ride with more mysteries, twists and turns around every corner, and we can’t wait to explore the next chapter for these captivating characters.”