A&E sets return date for 'Bates Motel'

NEW YORK, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- A&E Network says Season 2 of its Oregon-set drama series "Bates Motel," starring Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, will premiere March 3.

The sophomore season will "dig deeper into the twisted world of the Bates family," the cable network said in a news release promoting the small-screen "Psycho" prequel.

"Picking up from last season, Norman is fixating on Miss Watson's death while Norma's mysterious past starts to haunt the family with the introduction of her brother," A&E said. "Meanwhile, Norman's brother Dylan, played by Max Thieriot, gets more entrenched in the familial drug war that fuels White Pine Bay and finds himself right in the middle of the danger as Bradley, played by Nicola Peltz, who remains on the hunt to uncover her father's killer, is driven to precarious extremes."

Guest stars lined up for the new season include Michael Vartan, Kathleen Robertson, Paloma Kwiatkowski, Rebecca Creskoff, Kenny Johnson, Michael Eklund and Michael O'Neill.