Sanjeev Bhaskar is launching The Split Up from Sunday 20 September on iPlayer and One, and the six-episode run drops the story into Manchester’s family-law world. The follow-up keeps the format familiar, but shifts the centre of gravity to Kishan Law and the Kishan family, where succession, grief and professional reputation now sit in the same room.
Kishan Law and Manchester
The series places Kishan Law at the top of Manchester’s legal food chain, with Bhaskar describing it as the go-to firm for a wide cross section of the city’s elite. That setup gives the show a clear business structure: one firm, one family, and a client base large enough to make every private dispute carry public consequences.
Bhaskar said, “I was a big fan of The Split and also of Abi Morgan's writing.” He also said, “It felt really important to me that we created a family that the audience could fall in love with, the same way that they fell in love with the Defoes in The Split.”
Aria, Maya and Kav
Aria Kishan is poised to take the mantle from her father, Dhruv Kishan, but his doubts cut across the transfer of power. He has begun to wonder whether she can, or should, handle it single handedly after the death of Raina six months prior, while her fiancé Neal remains the steadier and safer option in the background.
That setup leaves Aria juggling modern relationships and legal battles alongside her siblings Maya and Kav, and the family structure matters as much as the firm. Maya’s return is built into the drama too: she left Kishan Law to become a stay-at-home mum ten years previously and is now coming back into the business.
From Sunday 20 September
The six episodes arrive as a compact run, which should keep the stakes tight rather than stretched thin. Bhaskar said, “I wanted to keep that accessibility, the warmth, the humour, and just this idea of spending an hour with a family who you would completely connect with emotionally and engage with.”
A former flame moving to Manchester and a long-buried family secret add pressure to a firm that already has enough on its desk. The question now is whether Aria’s wedding will go ahead, but the sharper business story is whether Kishan Law can survive the succession without tearing the family apart first.
