In an affluent town where the bonds between money and morality blur, one man is keeping his neighbours humble – by stealing from them. In season two of Your Friends & Neighbours, former hedge-fund manager Andrew ‘Coop’ Cooper (Jon Hamm) continues his hobby of suburban thieving, swiping prized possessions from neighbouring families who won’t even realise they’ve gone. But this time, a new arrival Owen Ash, played by James Marsden, threatens to expose him.
What happened in the season one finale of Your Friends & Neighbours?
In the first season of Your Friends & Neighbours, audiences were introduced to the wealthy families of Westmont Village, whose lives – and lies – were more stacked than their bank accounts. Coop was part of it all, until he was unceremoniously fired and left with a pile of bills to pay. Desperate, he resorted to burglary, stealing from his neighbours who are none the wiser to his schemes.
But crime doesn’t always pay and he found himself the suspect to murder. He didn’t do it, mind you, but the evidence kept piling up. Little did he know [spoiler!], he was being framed by his ex-lover Samantha (Olivia Munn).
In an interview with TV WEEK, the cast of the hit drama reveal that the stakes get even higher in season two and the wealthy families begin to lose all sense of what’s right and wrong. And Coop is at the center of it all.
Check out the trailer below:
Jon Hamm on raising the stakes in season two of Your Friends & Neighbours
As Coop climbs back out of the financial hole he fell into in season one, he realises he has a knack for criminal activity and is feeling more alive than ever before! It seems he didn’t exactly learn his lesson.
“It’s the devil he knows versus the devil he doesn’t,” Jon, 55, explains. “Going back and working for someone who has double-crossed him multiple times [in finance] isn’t a very appealing option.
“But now realising this world [of stealing] isn’t a sustainable lifestyle is another difficult decision – especially once Owen Ash realises that and he’s in over a barrel. But it makes for great television!”
Olivia Munn on the unpredictability of season two
While Coop seems to run off the adrenaline, the Mad Men star says he’s “too catholic” to ever steal willingly.
“I’s be a terrible thief; I would want to confess immediately,” Jon says with a laugh. “I think people consider me a fairly trustworthy guy.”
Olivia, 45, tells TV WEEK that Samantha is now a social pariah, trying to find her way back into an unforgiving world.
“Sam is feeling shame and regret, knowing she did something wrong, but the world she’s in is unfair and she’s also angry about that – there’s an injustice,” she says. “I think it comes down to money and status – that’s the world they live in. And in season two, Sam has lost everything.”
“I think the audience has a fun time peering into this uber-wealthy society,” she adds. “Because the other women, deep down in their private moments, they’re not any better than you.”
James Marsden on joining Your Friends & Neighbours
The arrival of larger-than-life businessman Owen Ashe (James Marsden) in the neighbourhood also changes the dynamic. He not only disrupts Coop’s personal life but could also expose his criminal secrets.
“For me, the most fun to play in a character is the furthest away from yourself – and this guy has got a lot more energy than me and a lot more money than me,” James, 52, admits with a laugh.
Amanda Peet’s “wild” season on Your Friends & Neighbours
Elsewhere, Coop’s ex-wife, Mel (Amanda Peet), is in the grips of menopause and feels unlike herself. With permission to go to places she never expected, Amanda relished the chance to bring out a new side to her character.
“It was really fun that Jonathan Trooper [the creator] used menopause to set her on a journey of impulse-control issues,” says Amanda, 54. “Both Mel and Coop seem to be attracted to danger.”
As for neighbour etiquette? Amanda isn’t sure she would want her character around.
“I would want to avoid Mel,” she laughs. “She’s a trespasser and a loose cannon!”
In the meantime, Coop and Mel’s daughter Tori (Isabel Gravitt) is grappling with finishing school and son Hunter (Donovan Colan) is caught up in the middle of all the chaos. Coop’s sister Ali (Lena Hall) is also trying to keep her emotional baggage in check.
It all adds up to one very difficult juggling act as Coop tries not to lose the trappings of wealth he’s spent his whole life gathering around him. And, in this suburb, greed is good.
Your Friends and Neighbours S1-2 is available April 3 on Apple TV [.]
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