After months of anticipation, ITV has officially confirmed that Unforgotten—one of British television’s most quietly devastating crime dramas—is returning for a seventh season. Filming began in late January 2026, with Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan reprising their acclaimed roles as DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jess James. The announcement came with a first-look photo of the two leads on set, signaling that the slow-burn cold-case series is back and ready to dig into another buried tragedy.

Since its debut in 2015, Unforgotten has earned a reputation for being unlike most crime procedurals. Created and written by Chris Lang, each season focuses on a single, long-dormant case exhumed by the Unsolved Crime and Open Casework Unit (UCOCU). The show never rushes to reveal the killer; instead, it spends equal time unraveling the lives of victims, suspects, and their families—people whose scars never healed, even after decades. The result is a drama that feels more like a character study wrapped in a mystery than a traditional whodunit.

Season 7 promises to continue that tradition, with Lang describing the new case as “complex and emotionally charged.” While full plot details remain under wraps, the series has always excelled at intertwining personal pain with investigative procedure. Past seasons have explored themes of institutional abuse, family secrets, generational trauma, and the lingering cost of violence. Expect Season 7 to deliver similar emotional weight—cases that are not just solved, but felt.

Bhaskar and Keenan remain the heart of the show. Bhaskar’s DI Sunny Khan is the empathetic, quietly relentless counterpart to Keenan’s DCI Jess James, a steely, uncompromising leader who refuses to let cases go cold. Their partnership—forged in mutual respect and shared moral conviction—has become one of British TV’s most compelling duos. The supporting team returns as well: Jordan Long as DS Murray Boulting, Carolina Main as DS Fran Lingley, Pippa Nixon as DC Kaz Willets, and Hiten Patel as DS Siobhan O’Neill, among others.

The guest cast for Season 7 is stacked with familiar faces from other acclaimed British dramas. Sophie Rundle (Gentleman Jack, After the Flood, Peaky Blinders) and Julian Rhind-Tutt (The Reckoning, Kill Jackie) headline the ensemble, joined by Jo Hartley (Adolescence, Passenger), Paul Kaye, Nicholas Burns (Black Mirror, The Serpent Queen), Natalie Simpson (Trigger Point, Outlander), Kirsty J Curtis (Joan, Harlots), Andrew Tiernan (Joan, Happy Valley), Ben Bailey Smith (The 6th Commandment), Dominic Coleman (Bridgerton, The Jetty), David Fynn (Daddy Issues), India Brown (Invasion), Sonya Nisa, Joshua Sher (Vera, Lynley), Rachel Atkins (Grantchester), Roger Dipper (Sherwood), Cameron Jack (River City), Mark Jax (Merlin), Joe McNamara (Call the Midwife), Yazdan Qafouri (I Came By), Paula Wilcox (Coronation Street), and Philip Martin Brown (Waterloo Road).

The presence of actors from Happy Valley (Andrew Tiernan) and Vera (Joshua Sher) has already sparked excitement among fans, who see the casting as a sign that Season 7 will deliver the same level of nuanced, character-driven performances that made those series unforgettable.

No official premiere date has been announced yet, but with filming underway in early 2026, a late summer or early autumn broadcast on ITV and ITVX is widely expected. PBS MASTERPIECE will likely air the season in the U.S. shortly after.

What sets Unforgotten apart is its refusal to treat victims as plot devices. Each season resurrects forgotten lives—people whose disappearances or deaths were buried under time, bureaucracy, and indifference. The detectives don’t just solve crimes; they force society to confront the human cost of letting those cases go cold. The emotional toll on Sunny and Jess is palpable—each investigation leaves marks on them, too.

Season 6 (which aired in early 2025) was widely praised for its handling of institutional abuse and political corruption, ending with a finale that left viewers emotionally drained. Season 7 is expected to push even further, with Lang promising a story that is “more personal, more disturbing, and more emotionally charged than ever before.”

Fans are already bracing for impact. Social media is filled with anticipation, with many calling it “ITV’s most powerful return yet.” The series has built a loyal following precisely because it doesn’t flinch from the darkness—whether it’s the grief of families who never got answers, the guilt of those who failed victims, or the quiet rage of detectives who see too much.

In a television landscape often dominated by fast-paced procedurals, Unforgotten stands out by moving slowly, letting silence and subtext do the heavy lifting. It reminds viewers that some crimes don’t end when the perpetrator is caught—they echo for decades, reshaping lives long after the headlines fade.

As production continues and the premiere date nears, one thing is clear: when Unforgotten returns, it won’t just reopen a cold case. It will reopen wounds—some decades old, some still fresh—and force everyone watching to confront the uncomfortable truth that forgetting is easy, but remembering is painful.

And in the world of Unforgotten, remembering is the only way forward.