James R | On 01, Dec 2015

The first episode of Transparent Season 2 has been released online early by Amazon.

The VOD service jumped ahead of Netflix with the first season of Jill Soloway’s show, which became the first online programme to win a Golden Globe for Best Series at the start of 2015. Arrested Development’s Jeffrey Tambor, who stars as Maura, a father who comes out as a woman to his kids, also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series.

The show’s second run, then, is one of the most anticipated premieres of the year’s VOD calendar. Now, Amazon is giving Prime Video subscribers a sneak peek of what’s in store: the opening chapter became available late last night, as part of the site’s Cyber Monday promotions.

This isn’t the first time that Amazon has released its titles early: the first two episodes of The Man in the High Castle were previewed for a weekend last month ahead of its official launch. The streaming service’s public pilot scheme, meanwhile, means that the very first episode of all of its original titles are available to stream. Where those are available to anyone, though, this preview of Episode 1 of Season 2 is only open to Prime Video subscribers.

The episode takes us straight back into the complex world of identity and romance that made Transparent’s first run so unique, as the Pfefferman family return for another bout of soul-searching, starting with a big, white wedding for Sarah and Tammy.

Happy-ever-afters, though, soon disappear, as Maura encounters more estranged relatives, Sarah struggles with the leap to marriage and Josh and Rabbi Raquel’s relationship becomes less private than they wanted. There’s a scale to the event that highlights the show’s ability to juggle an ensemble of complicated characters, not to mention the classy confidence in which their multi-stranded emotional problems are stitched together.

Indeed, it’s telling that the whole of the original cast returns for the new season, including Judith Light as Maura’s ex, Shelly, Amy Landecker as Sarah, Jay Duplass as Josh and Emmy nominated Gaby Hoffmann as Ali, the odd one out from the loved-up bunch.

The ensemble will be joined by several other familiar faces: Anjelica Huston and Emmy Award winner Cherry Jones, as well as Kathryn Hahn (Parks and Recreation), Rob Huebel (I Love You, Man), Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia), Alexandra Billings (Socket), Tig Notaro (One Mississippi), Alex MacNicoll (Peace of Mind) and Trace Lysette (Bloody Mary). Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) will also return to the series, as well as Melora Hardin (The Office), Michaela Watkins (Wanderlust), and Emily Robinson (A New York Fairy Tale).

The remaining nine episodes of Transparent Season 2 premiere on Friday 11th December on Amazon Prime Video in the UK, US, Germany and Austria. A third season has already been commissioned for 2016.

To get watching now, or to catch up with Season 1, hit the button below.

For more information on Transparent, see our interview with Jill Soloway and Jeffrey Tambor – or read our reviews of Season 1.

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