When Twisted Metal first premiered back in 2023, it bore only a passing resemblance to the game. The series followed John Doe (Anthony Mackie), a post-apocalyptic delivery driver on a quest for a better life while bonding with a mysterious stranger named Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz) — a premise far different than the no-holds-barred demolition derby tournament format of the Twisted Metal games from the ‘90s and ‘00s. But nobody was really expecting the show to follow the format of the game, as there wasn’t really any plot to begin with. Instead, Season 1 was a touching story of found family, survival, and lots of explosions. In Season 2, you can expect more of the same, but with one big addition: the actual Twisted Metal tournament from the games. If Season 1 was a bizarro version of The Last of Us, Season 2 is a bizarro version of Squid Game — but it still finds time for the pathos established in the first chapter. The last time we left John Doe, he was granted entry to New San Francisco, the idyllic society full of normal-looking folks and pizza delivery. But while you can take the Milkman out of the road, you can’t take the road out of the Milkman, and it’s not long before John gets another mission from Raven (a recast-but-justified Patty Guggenheim): Win the Twisted Metal tournament run by the ominous Calypso (Anthony Carrigan) on her behalf, so she can get her greatest wish granted. John Doe is faced with the actual Twisted Metal tournament in Twisted Metal Season 2 | PeacockBut John has other ideas, especially after he meets back up with Quiet, who has been living among the masked gang run by Dollface (Tiana Okoye) who was revealed to be John’s sister in Season 1. Reunited with his old flame and trying to figure out a relationship with a sister he has no memories of, he decides to enter the tournament on his own behalf alongside them. Tagging along is Mayhem (Saylor Bell Curda), a young upstart who is trying to become just like Quiet, much to Quiet’s chagrin. All of that is established in the first three episodes, but in Episode 4 we get to the centerpiece of the season: Calypso’s tournament, and all the kooky characters it brings with it. There’s Stu (Mike Mitchell) and Sweet Tooth (Joel Seanoa) from Season 1 of course, but Season 2 introduces characters like Vermin (Lisa Gilroy doing a silly voice) and Axel (Michael James Shaw). Even Season 1’s departed Preacher lives on through his devoted followers and a new successor — a newborn baby, which, after Squid Game Season 3, might become a trope. Each round has a big body count, so we get to know some of these characters more than others, but there’s plenty of space between rounds for the banter and growth. The best parts of Twisted Metal Season 2 are the new characters, like the new version of Raven and the bug-obsessed Vermin. | PeacockTwisted Metal Season 2 slots perfectly into the new trend of Deadly Game Shows, alongside Squid Game (and its reality show spinoff), Beast Games, Alice in Borderland, and The Devil’s Plan, but it has something none of the other shows have: a tongue in its proverbial cheek. Calypso is a maniacal villain, but he always prioritizes entertainment over all, working as a quasi-reality-TV-producer in manufacturing storylines and twists to serve his audience, allowing space for the most outlandish moments that are fun just for fun’s sake. Of course, that also means pulling strings to anger his competitors as much as possible, but you have to take the bad with the good.The end of the tournament happens with a whole episode to spare, proving that it’s not the tournament itself that makes this series so worth it — it’s the newfound juggling of game elements and traditional TV dramedy moments that makes this a blast from start to finish, whether you’re in it as a fan of the game or just trying to stave off the tournament drama withdrawal. Twisted Metal Season 2 premieres July 31 on Peacock. New episodes release weekly on Thursdays.