Returning: The Knick

Season two of US period drama The Knick will begin on Showcase next month.

It returns at 8:30pm on October 21, 4 days after its US debut.

Steven Soderbergh returns to direct the series, which has 10 episodes this season.

Directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh, The Knick stars Oscar nominee Clive Owen as John Thackery, a brilliant but drug-addled surgeon who pushes the boundaries of medicine, morality and race in a 1900s New York City hospital.

The Knick, short for The Knickerbocker Hospital, faces an upheaval at the onset of season two, as Thackery’s absence (hospitalized for cocaine addiction in New England), a dearth of affluent patients, and financial missteps have led the hospital board to decide to close the Knick’s downtown location and move uptown.

As the relocation plans go forward, gifted surgeon Algernon Edwards (André Holland) lobbies to become Thackery’s successor as Chief of Surgery, while fellow doctors, nurses, nuns and administrators grapple with numerous challenges, both at work and in their private lives.

The Knick is created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, directed by Steven Soderbergh, produced by Cinemax and is exclusive to Foxtel’s showcase channel in Australia.