Irish drama hit Kin to return to RTÉ as BBC joins to finance season three

Kin star Charlie Cox (foreground) also co-runs producer House of Juno 

Irish public broadcaster RTÉ’s hit crime drama series Kin is to return for a third season – three years after the show was put on ice when coproducer Bron Studios went bust.

The new season of the Dublin-set gangland series is expected to air next year. It is now being produced by Metropolitan Pictures and House of Juno, the prodco co-run by Kin actor Charlie Cox.

The show will continue to follow the Kinsella crime family as they deal with power struggles, betrayal and festering rivalries.

Emmett J Scanlan, who plays villain Jimmy Kinsella, posted a video on social media confirming his involvement. He said: “This has been years in the making, and I can’t believe and I’m utterly grateful that I get to finally say: Day one, season three of Kin is now.”

Created by Peter McKenna and Ciaran Donnelly, Kin debuted in September 2021 and was an immediate commercial and critical success for RTÉ. The first two seasons were coproduced by Bron Studios and Headline Pictures in association with RTÉ, AMC and Nordic Entertainment Group.

It was acquired by UK broadcaster the BBC in 2023 and Netflix the following year.

However, Kin’s future was cast into doubt in summer 2023 when Canada-based Bron, the parent company of Bron Studios, filed for bankruptcy.

In April 2024, the assets of Bron Studios UK, the UK arm of Bron, were put up for sale with Kin among the properties on the market. AMC aired Kin in the US and helped finance the first season but dropped out for its second run.

However, the funding issues surrounding the show now appear to be resolved, with the BBC coming on board as a co-financing partner for the new season and Kin headlining RTÉ’s newly unveiled scripted content slate.

The broadcaster has ordered 160 hours of programming, an increase on the 142 hours greenlit last year. Other highlights of the roster include new dark comedy Tall Tales & Murder, from Love/Hate creator Stuart Carolan, and a second season renewal for comedy drama The Walsh Sisters.