Cross is a crime thriller set in Washington D.C., produced by Paramount Television Studios, Skydance Television and Amazon MGM Studios.Created by Ben Watkins and based on the characters from James Patterson’s Alex Cross literary saga, the series follows Alex Cross, a brilliant homicide detective and forensic psychologist capable of delving into the minds of murderers and victims to solve crimes.Aldis Hodge stars in the fiction and also participates as a producer, accompanied by a cast that includes Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal and Ryan Eggold, among others.Before the premiere of its first season, the series had already been renewed by Prime Video for a second installment.
The first season premiered in November 2024 and the second is available from February 11, 2026 on Amazon Prime Video.In this new installment, made up of 8 episodes of 50 to 60 minutes, Cross investigates a vigilante who murders corrupt billionaires, a high-profile case that puts the country’s elites in check.In addition to the new criminal conflict, the season delves into the personal life of the protagonist and his relationship with his environment, especially with John Sampson.Unlike the first, the episodes are released weekly, although the first three were released on the same day of the premiere.
We invite you to watch our interview with actors Aldis Hodge and Matthew Lillard on video, or read a transcript.
—Thank you very much for this opportunity, guys.And congratulations on this second season of “Cross”.
Aldis Hodge: —Thank you.
—Premiering a series today is very different from a few years ago.Everything is commented on in real time, online, on Twitter, on X. How do premieres live in this strange time?
Aldis Hodge: —Dude, uhm… You know, I’m actually interested to know what you think about this, because we both started in this business.But you’ve been… I mean, you’ve been a star for a long time.AND…
Matthew Lillard: —Star is a very relative term.
Aldis Hodge: —Well, I’m just saying that you’ve been doing this for a long time, but you, you know… I remember you being famous at a time when… We didn’t have social media, we didn’t have that.And then, obviously, your fame… It transcended to a time when networks are all there is.And sometimes it’s hard, because people are… In real time… You know, saying everything they need to say.And sometimes it’s not the best.However, with this program… The other side of the coin, the advantage, is that we can see how people react in real time… While they watch the program, and they love it.So…
Matthew Lillard: —That’s good.
Aldis Hodge: —You know, it can be a double-edged sword, but for us it has been a great experience.Do you understand what I mean?
Matthew Lillard: —Yes.I think, I think… Social media makes things more transactional.We go from program to program, from program to program… Many things are forgotten.I think a show like this… The success we had, in the first season… It resonates on a deeper level.And I think that makes this series different, and it is something exceptional in that sense.Because it’s not just a transactional thing, right?They had 40 million visits in the first 20 days.That’s something… Unpublished in the whole world.Today we talk with Argentina due to its global popularity.Uhm, so when you have a successful program like this… It’s amazing because you can reach many different corners of the world.
—And in this season… Uhm, we see Cross… Who has spent, let’s say, too much time staring into the abyss… And the abyss begins to stare at him.Uhm, what was it like living in that big gray area between what’s right and what’s immoral?And how does it feel different from the first season?
Aldis Hodge: —I would say that the main difference between the first and second seasons is the nature of growth, the organic nature of these characters moving through life.We meet them at different times, at different stages.So you’re going to get to know… The stories and backgrounds of other characters, other fan favorites, that they’ll love.As for Cross, he continues on his journey.We know where we met him last season, and coming into this season… He feels… You know, ambition to move forward in life, and he might run into some obstacles here and there.
When it comes to the idea of… You know… Morality, justice and that kind of thing, “vigilantism” is the main theme of this season.Uhm, for me… As a viewer… The question that arises for me is: Okay… If someone is doing something… Bad, but for a good reason… Is it justifiable?Alright?Or, and… If someone does something… That may be good, but they do it incorrectly… How do we deal with that?You know, is the good worth the evil they have to do?And this is something we all ask ourselves.Where we draw our moral line, then… Let’s explore that a little.And, honestly, it is a conversation that we are going to have with the public, which is fun, because… As you mentioned before… They start typing on networks and talking about it.
Matthew Lillard: —Yes.Know?I think the series, both the first season and this one, are incredibly relevant from a social point of view.It’s as if Ben, the showrunner, had a crystal ball and could see what the zeitgeist would be like at this very moment, as it premieres on February 11.Because I think what we’re seeing throughout the second season is this ambiguity, the moral ambiguity of humanity, and… And certainly, in the United States, right now, we’re experiencing it firsthand.
Aldis Hodge: —Exactly.
—Well… We are living, as you say, a very delicate moment in which abuses of power by extremely rich and influential figures are coming to light in the United States and around the world.This is something truly global.And season 2 begins with a millionaire artist in the middle of a very extreme celebration.How important is it for “Cross” to reflect these types of realities without turning them into an explicit headline or a simple joke?
Aldis Hodge: —That’s the point.It’s a great question.Uhm, we always try to balance entertainment with great respect for those we are going to represent or reflect in the stories.We don’t want to be sensational.We don’t want to be… Voyeurs when it comes to that, because we know that there are people who live these… Existences, they… Live the consequences.We want… To a certain extent, to be a mirror that reflects the conversation that needs to be had.Know?Uhm, we are based on real stories. That’s why we try to be as timely as possible.We rely on things that matter deeply to us.
And then when we carry it out on the show, we try to show that humanity.Of the people who are suffering oppression.But we’re also trying to clarify some of the conversations that people… Have a little… Confusing, right now… Just to help them understand how to distinguish what’s valuable.In the first season, you know, dealing with Cross as a detective, in the middle of his job and his community… Feeling conflicted about how to serve both in their best interest even though they’re… You know, like, at odds. Also, being a black detective, what does that mean?Know?But… But that is something natural for us, because we live in that space every day.If we can represent… Clarity within the confusion.So for us, that is the greatest honor of the art we make.
Matthew Lillard: —That’s a good answer.Write it down!Put it on social networks.That was very good!
—I’m very sad that my time is up, but thank you very, very much. Matthew, I will never see you again.I love you so much since I was little.So it’s crazy to see you guys.And, really, this second season of “Cross” is incredible.And it’s bigger, darker.I like it a lot.And thanks for this opportunity.
Matthew Lillard: —Thanks, brother.Thank you so much.
Aldis Hodge: —Thanks, friend.
