Watch 'The Knick' season 2 premiere live online: John Thackery's backstory to be explored

Season 2 of "The Knick" will continue to explore issues such as drug problems and racism that were prevalent in the early 20th century.

The first season of the series ended with Clive Owen's John Thackery, the protagonist of the medical drama, being sent to a rehabilitation facility to deal with his cocaine problem. In season 1, he was a drug addict spiralling out of control, and it doesn't look like his condition has changed much.

The season premiere will see Dr. Gallinger heading to Cromartie Hospital to get Thackery to return to work, but it might not be such an easy task as the hospital's cure for cocaine addiction is heroin. Season 2 will explore Thackery's struggles as he tries to give up his dependency on these drugs and get his life on track.

Fans will also get to see bits and pieces of Thackery's past, and how he ended up at The Knick, the hospital in downtown New York that caters to the poor.

"We see a little bit of that. We do see how he came to be at The Knick, but not much more than that, and I'm glad about that," actor Owen told the Collider. "I think it's a very conventional way of storytelling to start saying, "How did this guy become who he is?" I much prefer having this character who you're trying to keep up with because he's this crazy, wild, unpredictable guy. The rhythm of going back and saying, "How did he become like this?," is a very over-used one."

As for what to expect in the premiere episode, the official synopsis states that Dr Edwards will try to get appointed as the permanent chief of surgery now that Thackery is no longer present.

Cleary, who is aware of Cornelia's big secret, might be hatching a plan to get some extra money.

The synopsis reads:

As Barrow and The Knick prepare to move uptown, Dr. Edwards lobbies the hospital board to be appointed permanent chief of surgery in Dr. Thackery's absence. Though his suspension has been lifted, Dr. Gallinger refuses to return as Edwards' subordinate, so he heads to Cromartie Hospital in hopes of getting Thackery to return to work. Lucy's attempts to make amends with Bertie are rebuffed; Cleary schemes to make extra money; Ping Wu demands regular medical checkups for his prostitutes; Speight attempts to trace the origins of a new plague; Cornelia nourishes a quarantined neighborhood in San Francisco.

"The Knick" will be aired Fridays at 10pm on Cinemax. Click here to watch the episode online.