Late Actor Michael K. Williams Returns to TV, ‘Black Market’ Season 2

Five months after Michael K. Williams’ death, one of his final works is hitting the small screen. Black Market With Michael K. Williams Season 2 premieres on Vice TV on Jan. 10 at 10:00 p.m. ET, with the alum of The Wire returning as the host.

Williams died at age 54 in September 2021 midway through production on the second season. So, Vice TV brought in Tracy Morgan, Rosie Perez, and Williams’ The Wire costar Felicia “Snoop” Pearson to narrate the three unfinished episodes.

“I’m grateful that I was chosen to represent my brother’s legacy because he meant the world to me,” Pearson told Entertainment Weekly. “Sometimes, if you hear me speak, you’ll hear my brother.”

As Vice TV explains in a press release, Black Market “explores the complex underworld of illicit trades and unravels how these criminal networks are reshaping our way of life.”

Season 1, which aired in 2016, delved into substance addiction in London, the gambling underworld in New York City, poaching in Hout Bay, South Africa, and the stolen car trade in Newark, N.J.

In Season 2, Williams will explore how the black markets have transformed since Black Market's first season—and how socioeconomic and cultural factors keep these economies.

“Williams will give audiences unprecedented access into the new era of credit card scamming, how NYC’s secret world of boosting and flipping has reshaped mainstream fashion, black market body modifications, and more,” the cable network adds. “Through Williams’ uniquely raw and sincere approach to those he encounters, he ultimately seeks redemption for the individuals looking to thrive in a system that has failed them.”

Vice TV renewed Black Market for a second season in February 2021, four and a half years after Season 1 aired. “After a busy period of back-to-back projects, I’m incredibly excited to rejoin my Vice family in taking a deeper dive behind telling the narratives of these global communities,” Williams said in a statement at the time, according to Deadline.

In April 2021, the five-time Emmy nominee posted an Instagram photo from behind the scenes of the docuseries’ second season, which was filming in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the time. The actor had finished work on most of Season 2 by the time of his death.

“While completing Black Market has been very difficult given the loss of Michael, it’s also been extremely rewarding to bring his vision for this season to the finish line,” executive producers Ben Freedman, Dion Sapp, Matthew Horowitz, David Laven, and Matt Goldman said in a statement to Variety.

They also said, “Black Market was more than a TV show for Michael. It was a mirror to a life he lived. An everyday struggle to transcend life’s obstacles. That fight isn’t always pretty, but his documentary storytelling is a testament to the brilliance of everyday people making their way in a complicated world. We’re incredibly proud to be able to share this work with you.”