Big Sky: Deadly Trails Preview: Beau & Cassie Meet Sunny & More

In case you didn’t know, today was ABC’s turn at the Television Critics Association’s (TCA) summer press tour, which means fans of Big Sky: Deadly Trails were in for a treat. And that treat came at the hands of series stars Kylie Bunbury, Katheryn Winnick, Jensen Ackles & Reba McEntire, and EP & Showrunner Elwood Reid, who were on hand to discuss the series return, the addition of Ackles & McEntire to the cast, and what makes this season so different from the previous two. And once that was done, it was time for the previews…

In the first preview clip, Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) and Beau (Ackles) follow a lead on a dead hiker that takes them to Sunny Barnes (McEntire) and her backcountry guide business. Following that, Beau and Jenny Hoyt (Winnick) are talking about movie night (and more) as they head to an investigation site… just as a new clue falls into their laps:

“She’s a mama bear that you don’t cross,” Reid teased about McEntire’s big bad. “What’s going to be fun is seeing how far she’ll go to defend her family. She’s got a bit of an edge and some darkness to her. But if you squint, you can justify some of the stuff she’s going to be doing.” Outside of that, viewers can also expect more one-and-done, single-episode cases for Jenny and Beau. But for those of you seeing some sparks between the two already? For the sake of Ackles’ long-term future on the series, here’s hoping Jenny and Beau just remain friends. “One thing you have to be careful with on ‘Big Sky’ is the minute somebody gets close, they end up getting killed. The actors get very nervous like, ‘If we fall in love and we start having an affair, are you going to kill us off?'” It’s always a risk in big-sky country,” Reid added.

Brian Geraghty, Dedee Pfeiffer, Omar Metwally, and Anja Savcic also star. Rosanna Arquette (Ratched), Luke Mitchell (Blindspot), Seth Gabel (Salem), Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), Anirudh Pisharody (9-1-1), Madalyn Horcher (Gracepoint), and Rex Linn (Young Sheldon) have joined the cast in recurring roles. Also, J. Anthony Pena and Jamie-Lynn Sigler have been promoted to series regulars.

Based on the books by C.J. Box, ABC‘s Big Sky is executive produced by Kelley, Ross Fineman, Matthew Gross, Paul McGuigan & Box and is produced by A+E Studios in association with 20th Century Fox Television. A+E Studios is the studio unit of global media company A+E Networks, LLC. 20th Century Fox Television is a part of Disney Television Studios, alongside ABC Studios and Fox 21 Television Studios. Production on the second season of Big Sky moved to Rio Rancho, NM, from Vancouver. Elwood Reid serves as showrunner and executive-produces alongside Kelley.