A MILLION LITTLE THINGS: DJ Nash Previews Season 2

A MILLION LITTLE THINGS wrapped up its first season on Thursday, February 28 with big moves: Katherine (Grace Park) and Eddie (David Giuntoli) were on the verge of reconciling; Delilah (Stephanie Szostak) went into labor; Rome (Romany Malco) and Regina (Christina Moses) were at a standstill as he decided he wanted a child, but she was firm she didn’t; Gary (James Roday) and Maggie (Allison Miller) started their own happily ever after, aided by her official remission; and Jon’s (Ron Livingston) survivor’s guilt—and tie to Barbara Morgan (Drea de Matteo)—was revealed.

Though production for the second season is still months away (the sophomore year was officially ordered in February), series creator DJ Nash already has plans for what’s ahead—including a season 2 storyline that was woven into what’s already aired.

He breaks down a few things to know about A MILLION LITTLE THINGS season 2…

There will be a mystery—and fans may be able to suss some of it out by rewatching season 1.

During the first season of the drama, viewers—and the characters themselves—wanted to know more about Jon’s backstory, and what factors led to him ultimately taking his life in the pilot.

With much of Jon’s story told, the series will move on to a new central mystery in its second year. “It has already been set up,” Nash teases. “The question that has been set up hasn’t been asked to the fans yet—you don’t realize something has been set up. Hopefully it’ll feel as authentic as the question of the first season.”

“If you’ve seen the episodes, you know the backstory of these characters,” he continues. “And then you’ll realize, ‘Something is not adding up.’ We’ll be following [that].”

If fans go back and rewatch the show’s first season, the season 2 hints aren’t confined to a single episode. “It played through [with foreshadowing] in a couple of different places,” Nash confirms.

Nash also teased the theme of the second season: redo. “We’ll see Eddie and Katherine and how they’re going to handle their redo,” he says. “Maggie and Gary, she has a redo of her life.”

A MILLION LITTLE THINGS Season Finale Post-Mortem: DJ Nash on the Big Jon Reveal and What Comes Next

What role, if any, will Livingston play in season 2?

Jon may have been the linchpin of A MILLION LITTLE THINGS’ first season, but with his backstory told, Livingstone’s future with the series is a little cloudy.

“I will say, as much as I like Ron Livingston on camera, I love him even more off-camera,” Nash says. “He’s fun, he’s such a professional.”

Nash credits Livingston with keeping the show’s secrets—he told the actor about the finale reveals the day they met—and also helping shape where Jon ultimately went. “I was telling him, ‘I’m just going to tell you everything; I’m just going to trust you,’” he recalls of their first meeting—on location, during the pilot shoot, in Eddie and Katherine’s bedroom. “And I had to trust him. He had a couple of questions, really good questions that impacted the story. I changed some of the story because his questions were so good.”

“I really want to find a place for him to come in,” Nash continues. “Probably not as frequently as he was the first season, because he has another show he’s doing. The first season was about saying goodbye to Jon.”

A MILLION LITTLE THINGS: Ron Livingston on Finding the Right Balance in Jon’s Flashbacks

How will the show utilize time going forward?

Thanks to memories, flashbacks, and old recordings, the drama was able to jump around in time. Though the framework will be different, the series will do something similar next season.

“We will pick up where we leave off with Katherine and Eddie and then we’ll play with time a bunch in season 2,” Nash previews. “It will give us the perspective, hopefully, that season 1 gave us. Season 1, it wasn’t [messing as time] as much [showing] memories. They were shot like memories, from very specific points of view. It was really fun for me to tell stories that way, and it was very liberating for the writers, because, in the middle of the scene, you could have them think of something. That was a way to get the subtext out.”

A MILLION LITTLE THINGS Cast on the Affair Fallout

Who might return in season 2?

“Andrew, who was played by James Tupper, the plan is to have him back,” Nash teases. “As Delilah and Eddie have forged this friendship, there’s another friendship Delilah has formed with Andrew. They both lost their spouses. I think there’s something really interesting about it not being romantic, at first. It’s a friendship. The same way Gary and Maggie bonded over a common issue, these two have done that. That relationship is fun for me. I love the complexity of the third wheel in the Regina-Delilah work situation.”

Nash also wants to play with the parallel of Barbara, Mitch, and PJ juxtaposed with Delilah, Eddie, and Katherine’s situation. “You see a cautionary tale,” he says. “I’m hoping to have these characters come back and see what happens with PJ, who is [an example] of what could happen with [Delilah’s] own child [if the truth stays buried].”

Plus, “Ashley did not die,” Nash acknowledges of Christina Ochoa’s character. “Ultimately, we are a soap opera. If you think she’s not coming back…my guess is we will see her again.”

Nash is very excited about a specific episode for season 2.

While on a recent hike, Nash came up with a storyline for the sophomore season. But, to his horror, he realized he had no cell reception and he couldn’t share it with a producer on the series. He ran down, left a voice mail, and then “immediately called Roday,” Nash recalls. “When we get to the episode about Colin next season, you’ll know that’s the episode.”

RELATED:

• A MILLION LITTLE THINGS Season Finale Post-Mortem: DJ Nash on the Big Jon Reveal and What Comes Next
• ABC Renews A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, THE GOOD DOCTOR, and SHARK TANKA MILLION LITTLE THINGS: ABC Orders a Full First Season
• A MILLION LITTLE THINGS Cast on the Affair Fallout
• A MILLION LITTLE THINGS: What You Need to Know About the New ABC Series
• A MILLION LITTLE THINGS: Romany Malco and Christina Moses Tease the New ABC Drama
• A MILLION LITTLE THINGS on ABC – First Look

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/givememyremotetv