Claim: Top of the Lake stars Elisabeth Moss as Detective Robin Griffin.

Top of the Lake is a mystery drama television series created and written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee , and directed by Campion and Garth Davis . Its first season aired in 2013 , with the second season , titled China Girl , set to air in September 2017 . It marks Campion 's first work for television since An Angel at My Table in 1990 . The series follows Detective Robin Griffin -LRB- Elisabeth Moss -RRB- , and Season 1 deals with the investigation of the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl in New Zealand . Season 2 will be set four years after the events of Season 1 and will be set in Sydney , as Robin investigates the death of an unidentified Asian girl found at Bondi Beach . Top of the Lake was co-produced for BBC Two in the UK , BBC UKTV in Australia and New Zealand , and Sundance Channel in the United States .