The second season of '' Bates Motel'' consisted of 10 episodes and broadcast on A&E from March 3-May 5, 2014, airing on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The series itself is described as a "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film '' Psycho'' and follows the life of

Norman Bates Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, wh ...

and his mother

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

in the fictional town of White Pine Bay,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

prior to the events portrayed in the

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

film. The season received positive reviews from television critics, and the premiere episode drew in a total of 3.07 million viewers. ''Bates Motel'' was renewed for a third season after five episodes of the second season had aired. For her performance as Norma Louise Bates,

Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...

received nominations for the 2014

Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series The Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Critics' Choice Television Awards to recognize the work of television actresses in the drama genre. It was introduced in 2011, when the a ...

and the 2014

Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television The following is a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Actress on Television. The award is presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, honoring the work of actresses in science fiction, fantasy, and horror f ...

. The season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 7, 2014.

Cast and characters

Main

as Norma Louise Bates *

Freddie Highmore Alfred Thomas Highmore (born 14 February 1992) is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films '' Finding Neverland'' (2004), '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' (2005), '' August Rush'' (2007), and ...

Max Thieriot Maximillion Drake Thieriot (; born October 14, 1988) is an American actor and director. He made his acting debut in the 2004 adventure comedy film ''Catch That Kid''. Thieriot has since appeared in the action comedy '' The Pacifier'' (2005), the ...

as Dylan Massett *

Olivia Cooke Olivia Kate Cooke (born 27 December 1993) is an English actress. In television, she has starred as Emma Decody in the thriller '' Bates Motel'' (2013–2017), Becky Sharp in the period drama ''Vanity Fair'' (2018), and Alicent Hightower in th ...

as Emma Decody *

Nicola Peltz Nicola Anne Peltz Beckham (born January 9, 1995) is an American actress. Primarily known for her roles in dramatic film and television, she has performed in some blockbuster adaptations and has since been nominated for a Young Hollywood Award. ...

as Bradley Martin *

Nestor Carbonell Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, ...

as Sheriff Alex Romero

Recurring

* Michael O'Neill as Nick Ford *

Michael Eklund Michael Eklund is a Canadian television and film actor who is known for playing the role of the villain or antihero. His characters are often described as being "creepy". His roles include a kidnapper who terrorizes characters played by Halle ...

as Zane Morgan *

Ian Tracey Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

as Remo Wallace *

Paloma Kwiatkowski Paloma Kwiatkowski (born May 29, 1994) is a Canadian film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Thalia Grace in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (film), ''Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters'' (2013) and Cody in Bates Motel (TV seri ...

as Cody Brennan *

Michael Vartan Michael S. Vartan (born November 27, 1968) is a French-American actor, known for his role as Michael Vaughn on the ABC television action drama ''Alias'', his role on the TNT medical drama '' Hawthorne'', and his role on the '' E!'' drama '' The A ...

as George Heldens *

Rebecca Creskoff Rebecca Creskoff (born February 1, 1971) is an American actress. Career Creskoff graduated from the University of Pennsylvania before attending New York University, where she received her master of fine arts degree. She has guest-starred in a nu ...

as Christine Heldens *

Kathleen Robertson Kathleen Robertson (born July 8, 1973) is a Canadian actress, producer, writer and showrunner. She is best known for her roles as Kitty O' Neill in the Starz, Golden Globe winning series Boss, Hildy Mulligan in TNT's Murder in the First, Tina Edi ...

as Jodi Morgan * Keenan Tracey as Gunner *

Kenny Johnson Kenneth Allen Johnson (born July 13, 1963) is an American actor, producer, and model. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in ''The Shield'', Butch "Burner" Barnes in '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', Detective Ham Dewey in '' Sa ...

as Caleb Calhoun * Matthew Mandzij as Deputy Jeffcoat * Michael Rogers as Jimmy Brennan * Francis X. McCarthy as Declan Rogers *

Agam Darshi Agamdeep Darshi is an English-Canadian actress, now based in Los Angeles. Early life Born as Agamdeep Darshi in Birmingham, the United Kingdom, to parents of South Asian Punjabi (Indian) descent. At a very young age she and her family moved to ...

as Deputy Patty Lin *

Aliyah O'Brien Aliyah O'Brien (born May 7, 1981) is a Canadian actress, best known for her television roles in the TV series ''Rookie Blue'' and '' Bates Motel'' and in the film ''Maximum Conviction''. Biography Aliyah O'Brien was born in Victoria, British Col ...

as Regina

Guest

Robert Moloney Robert Moloney is a Canadian actor, best known for playing Professor ''Alistair Gryffen'' in the TV series '' K-9''. Life and career Moloney was trained at the Langara College in Vancouver, where he took the theatre Arts program Studio 58. In ...

as Lee Berman *

Vincent Gale Vincent Gale (born 6 March 1968) is a Scottish-born Canadian film and television actor, who won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 2002 Genie Awards for his performance in the film ''Last Wedding''. Career Gale's other acting c ...

as Gil Turner *

Gillian Barber Gillian Barber (born 22 February 1958) is an English-born Canadian actress. Early life and education Barber was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, and raised in British Columbia, Canada. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music and ...

as Dr. Helen Ginsberg *

Richard Harmon Richard Scott Harmon is a Canadian actor. His roles on television include John Murphy in The CW's ''The 100'', Jasper Ames in '' The Killing'' and Julian Randol on '' Continuum''. Harmon received critical praise for his role in the movie ''If I ...

as Richard Sylmore * Lini Evans as Amelia Martin *

Brendan Fletcher Brendan Fletcher (born December 15, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He first gained recognition as a child actor, winning a Leo Award and being nominated for a Gemini Award his acting debut in the made-for-television film ''Little Criminals''. He ...

as Kyle Miller * Veena Sood as Dr. Elizabeth J. Schaefer *

Sarah Grey Sarah Grey (born May 19, 1996) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her portrayal of Alyssa, the female lead on the Netflix horror-drama series '' The Order''. Life and career Grey was born in British Columbia, Canada. Grey has appeared ...

as Young Norma *

Andrew Airlie Andrew Airlie (born September 18, 1961) is a Scottish-born Canadian actor. Early life Airlie was born in Glasgow, Scotland on September 18, 1961. Career He has starred in television series including ''Breaker High'' and his TV credits include g ...

as Mayor Rob Woodriff *

John Cassini John Cassini (born in Toronto) is a Canadian actor. Career Cassini appeared in the 1995 Brad Pitt film '' Seven''. He starred in the 2005 film '' Cool Money''. Cassini starred as Ronnie Delmarco on the CBC series ''Intelligence'', which was c ...

as Max Borowitz *

Keegan Connor Tracy Keegan Connor Tracy (born December 3, 1971) is a Canadian actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Audrey Malone in the Showtime comedy-drama series '' Beggars and Choosers'' (1999–2000), the Blue Fairy in the ABC fantasy drama ...

as Miss Blaire Watson

Production

Casting

For the second season,

, who recurred as Sheriff Alex Romero throughout the first season, was upgraded to a series regular. Beginning in July 2013,

was cast in the recurring role of George Heldens, a 40-something divorcée and love interest for Norma.

joined the recurring cast as Norma's estranged brother Caleb Calhoun, and

was cast as Christine Heldens, a White Pine Bay society woman and George's sister, who befriends Norma.

was cast as Zane Morgan, an upper level player in the drug business. In August,

was cast to recur as Jodi Morgan, Zane's sister, first described as "a smart, sexy businesswoman". Michael O'Neill joined the cast as Nick Ford, the season's major villain.

Filming

At the beginning of the first season, a replica of the original Bates Motel set from the film ''Psycho'' was built on location in

Aldergrove, British Columbia Aldergrove is a community in the Township of Langley within British Columbia, Canada, approximately east of Vancouver. The community is urban in nature and, although not incorporated as a town, is often referred to as one. Aldergrove is located a ...

on 272nd Street, where the series is filmed.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

for the second season began on July 24, 2013. Production at the series' Aldergrove set concluded on November 6, with only location filming left to be completed for the season. During an interview in March 2014, Highmore and Thieriot revealed that the fight scene between Norman and Dylan left both actors in need of medical attention: "I cut my nose. It was nothing, really. Just a little blood", according to Highmore, "but it was real blood, not the fake stuff they put on us. Freddie and I just laughed about it", as Thieriot explained.

Episodes

Reception

Critical response

The second season of ''Bates Motel'' received mostly positive reviews. It received 67 out of 100 from

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, based on 11 television critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reported that 19 out of 21 critics gave the second season a positive review, averaging a 90% rating. The site's consensus reads, "''Bates Motel'' reinvents a classic thriller with believable performances and distinguished writing". A&E renewed the series for a third season in April 2014 following the positive reviews and good ratings after the first five episodes.

Ratings

The season premiere episode drew in a total of 3.07 million viewers, with 1.3 million tuning in from the coveted 18–49 demographic. The season finale episode drew in 2.30 million viewers, with 0.9 million watching in the 18–49 demographic. Overall, the second season averaged 2.30 million viewers, with a 0.9 ratings share in the 18–49 demographic.

Awards and nominations

In its second season, ''Bates Motel'' was nominated for 16 awards, winning none.

References

External links

* * {{Bates Motel 2014 American television seasons

Season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...