Michael K. Williams had completed much of the second season of his Vice TV docuseries when he died in September. Now, Vice has assigned a premiere date for the return of “Black Market with Michael K. Williams.” The show, featuring some of Williams’ final on-camera work, will premiere its second season on January 10 at 10 p.m. ET.
“Black Market” features the actor serving as a bit of a real-world journalist – entering the dangerous world of illicit trade, such as gambling underworld in New York, car thieves in New Jersey and gun runners in the south. In a new trailer for Season 2 (scroll down to watch), Williams says, “Our goal is just to simply, show the world a window as to why people do the things they do. As they say, when the system fails you, you create your own system.”
The new season of “Black Market” was announced in February, five years after the show’s initial first season. In the announcement, Vice said the show would resume its mission to investigate what drives people into dangerous underground economies and illicit trade networks.
“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 joint statement. “Michael was a gifted storyteller, who poured his heart and soul into his work both on and off screen. ‘Black Market’ serves as a bridge between them. ‘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.”
According to Vice TV, this season features Williams exploring 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.
“Black Market is a testament to Michael K. Williams’ dedication to criminal justice reform and social justice” said Jesse Angelo, President, Global News and Entertainment, Vice Media Group. “Michael was a longtime friend of our Vice family and shared our belief in having all voices be heard- especially those in marginalized communities. Michael’s mission was to lift those voices up and we are honored to share this collection of new episodes.”
The first season of “Black Market” premiered on June 5, 2016 on the network (then named Viceland), and ran for 12 episodes.
“Black Market” is produced by Freedome Productions & Picture Farm, and co-produced by Vice World News. Executive producers for Freedome Productions & Picture Farm are Michael K. Williams, Ben Freedman, Dion Sapp, Matthew Horowitz, David Laven, and Matt Goldman. Executive producers for Vice World News are Jesse Angelo, Kristen Burns, Subrata De, and Marsha Cooke. Executive producer for Vice TV is Falguni Lakhani Adams.
Here’s a first-look trailer for Season 2 of “Black Market with Michael K. Williams.”