After two years since we last saw it on our screens, The Bay finally returned for its highly-anticipated second series on Wednesday.
The ITV drama, which sees Morven Christie play the lead role as former detective Lisa Armstrong, is set in the seaside town of Morecombe and sees tragedy strikes after a sudden murder.
MORE: Meet the cast of season two of The Bay
And it seems that fans all had a similar reaction to watching the whodunnit, with many praising the "gritty" first episode. Taking to social media, one person wrote: "So glad #TheBay is back. Only thing better than a gritty crime drama is when it's set somewhere you know."
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Another echoed the praise, tweeting: "Four episodes down on #thebay, the cast are just wonderful and I am gripped!", while a third added: "New season of #TheBay on @ITV and already hooked, but bloody hell that escalated quickly." A fourth simply said: "Loved the first episode of #TheBay. There's definitely some good twists and turns to come!"
The first season saw Lisa Armstrong and her team work on a case involving a local family after the death of a young boy. But Lisa found herself in a compromising situation when she realised she has a close connection to main suspect, Shaun. After attempting to hide evidence, the end of series one saw her suspended after successfully solving the case.
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Fans were loving the return of The Bay on ITV
Season two picks up with Lisa no longer under suspension, but she's been demoted. This time, she's working as a Family Liaison Officer when a new case comes to light – involving the murder of a local man played by Stephen Tompkinson (The Split, DCI Banks, Wild at Heart). The character was killed within the first few moments of the show – meaning the entire second series is set up for a brilliant whodunit story.
Other familiar faces are back in The Bay to reprise their roles including Daniel Ryan as DI Tony Manning, Taheen Modak as DS Med Karim, and Imogen King and Art Parkinson returning as Lisa's two teenage children, Abbie and Rob.
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