Big Sky star opens up about surprise return in season 2

Big Sky spoilers for season two follow.

Big Sky season two has only aired one episode over in the US, but the ABC crime drama has already set the scene for a number of intriguing mysteries.

However, yesterday's (September 30) season premiere did solve one mystery as well – and that's how the previously confirmed return of John Carroll Lynch was going to work.

Despite Big Sky killing off Lynch's state trooper Rick Legarski at the end of season one – and in brutal fashion, too – the actor is now back on the scene as Rick's twin brother, Wolf.

john carroll lynch as rick legarski in a hospital bed as kylie bunbury as cassie leans over to talk to him

Darko Sikman//ABC

If the actor's return came as a surprise to fans, then it did to John Carroll Lynch, too. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about his comeback, the actor admitted he "never expected to return" to the series.

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"I didn't expect a time that I would be revisiting this show. I had such a nice time with the people I worked with, and it was fun to create that crazy dude," he said. "It's a nice surprise, and it's a real joy to join this year's Big Sky world."

As for the differences between Rick and Wolf, it boils down to far more than Wolf's ponytail, with Lynch explaining that the two characters are "very, very different people".

john carroll lynch as rick legarski, seen staring into the camera as he stands on a long, open road in big sky still

Darko Sikman//ABC

"They took different paths from the same trail. The primary thing that you get from Wolf is that the damage done by the Legarski family to those children was pretty severe, and they're playing that out in the world. But Wolf has gone more off the beaten path."

Revealing how he compares the new role against his earlier turn as Rick, Lynch argued that Wolf has a different outlook and "point of view" to his brother.

"I would describe the difference, to my understanding, this way: Rick thought the law would work until he thought it wouldn't," he said. "Wolf never thought the law would work."

Will Wolf end up being as much of a "crazy dude" as his late brother? We'll have to wait and see.

Big Sky season 2 airs on ABC. The show streams on Disney+ in the UK.