Transparent’s second season is coming to Amazon this December

Almost a year after it was first announced, Transparent’s second season has a release date. During their presentation at the Television Critics Association tour, Amazon Studios announced that its hit comedy-drama’s new batch of episodes will debut on Prime Instant Video December 4th. The show’s first season focused on the transition and complicated family life of Maura Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor), a retired college professor whose adult children are all grappling with their own sexuality and gender. The release date announcement is coming on the heels of the series receiving 11 Emmy nominations, including nods in many of the ceremony’s major categories (including Outstanding Comedy Series).

Transparent became an immediate sensation upon its premiere last February, both for its subject matter — it’s one of the first TV shows to feature a transgender character in a leading role — and the caliber of its writing, acting, and direction. The show was created by veteran TV writer Jill Soloway in the wake of her own father’s transition. It was renewed for a second season last October, and renewed again for a third season this June — well before the second season was even set to air. Amazon’s faith in the show was further justified by the bucketful of Emmy nominations it received, the first such recognition for the company’s original TV programming. A December premiere date makes for a long hiatus, but I’m looking forward to hanging with the Pfeffermans come the holiday season — at the very least, it’ll remind me that my family could stand to get a lot more dysfunctional.