‘Taken’ Season 2 Premiere Date Revealed

NBC has set the return date for “Taken.”

According to Deadline, Season 2 of the crime drama will premiere on Friday, Jan. 12 at 9 p.m. EST.

Plot details about the new season are being kept under wraps, but as revealed by TVLine last June, six of Season 1’s series regulars are not coming back for the sophomore run.

Gaius Charles (John), Brooklyn Sudano (Asha), Monique Gabriela Curnen (Vlasik), Michael Irby (Scott), Jose Pablo Cantillo (Dave) and James Landry Hébert (Rem) will not be reprising their roles in the 16-episode Season 2, leaving Clive Standen (Bryan Mills) and Jennifer Beals (Christina Hart) as the only original series regulars returning next season.

NBC Chairman Robert Greenblatt said that the decision to pink-slip six of the show’s original series regulars was rooted from a belief that the series “needed” a creative reboot. “There’s a better show in there,” the network boss said (via TVLine) last August. “We love Clive and Jennifer, but I think we got a little disparate with [the supporting characters] and couldn’t really define them enough. So we just took a look at what the essence of the show was and tried to focus in on that. I think it’s going to be a really strong second season.”

The massive cast shakeup came two weeks after “Person of Interest” executive producer Greg Plageman was named as the new showrunner. Insiders told TVLine in June that Plageman has a new vision in mind for the series.

Plageman took over the showrunner role from Alexander Cary, who vacated the position at the end of the show’s Season 1. According to Deadline, Cary’s exit from the show was amicable. The website also reported that the series will likely adopt more procedural elements in the vein of NBC’s “The Blacklist” and “Blindspot” for the new season.

Following the cast overhaul, the series added “The Flash” star Jessica Camacho and “Fargo” alum Adam Goldberg as series regulars. Camacho will play Santana, a scary-smart and rule-breaking ex Army captain who possesses an acerbic wit and calculated bravado. Goldberg, meanwhile, will portray Kilroy, an eccentric and intelligent gray hat hacker with a droll sense of humor.

Will you be watching Season 2 of “Taken”? Let us know in the comments section below!