Jane Lynch is set to return as the narrator for Season 2 of the dark comedy podcast “The Bystanders,” TheWrap can reveal exclusively. This new installment will be available exclusively on Apple Podcasts beginning June 22.
“We are excited to bring a new story to ‘The Bystanders’ series and work with the talented Jane
Lynch again and such an outstanding voice cast,” writer and executive producer Heather Morris (“Glee”) said. “The team has come up with an amazing and funny story that was brought to life with this stellar cast and musical score from Tory Cummins that creates one of the best audio, immersive experiences in audio storytelling.”
TheWrap also has the first audio clip for this upcoming second season, which can be viewed above.
Created by Ash Lendzion and Jaclyn Hales, “The Bystanders” is a fiction podcast that explores the dynamics of the bystander effect, a phenomena where the presence of others may discourage someone from involving themselves in an emergency situation. Similar to the Kitty Genovese story, Season 1 followed a group of neighbors who witness a brutal murder in the courtyard of their apartment complex and who seemingly do nothing to prevent it.
In Season 2, the stakes have been raised. According to a press release, it revolves around “a group of flawed characters who, having witnessed a tragic incident as bystanders, find themselves kidnapped and held captive by a deranged individual. Amidst their harrowing ordeal, they are forced to rediscover the essence of true friendship, all while playing by their captor’s twisted rules.” This new season will be six episodes long.
In addition to Lynch, this new season’s voice cast includes Darren Criss, Margaret Cho and Kathleen Turner. Also in the ensemble are Beth Dover (“Orange Is the New Black”), Joe Lo Truglio (“Paul”), Jon Gries (“Napoleon Dynamite”), Luke Cook (“The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”), Monte Markham (“We Are Still Here”) and Wayne Knight (“Jurassic Park”).
“The Bystanders” was written by Hales, Lendzion, Morris and Nick Blair Wilfong, who also serve as executive producers alongside Marilee Stafford. Black Label Media produces.
