A decade has passed since Jock Young and I published ‘Cultural criminology: Some notes on the script’, the opening article of a special edition on cultural criminology for Theoretical Criminology. This ‘sequel’ article looks back on developments in the field during the intervening decade as well as responding to some of the criticisms that have emerged in the same period. In particular, it addresses the following critical concerns: that cultural criminology has an inherent romanticism towards its object of study; that it fails to consider or incorporate broader gender dynamics in its analysis; and that cultural criminologists are unable to formulate any meaningful policy measures other than non-interventionism. In responding to these criticisms the article highlights some of the subtle yet important conceptual reconfigurations that have occurred in cultural criminology as it continues to consolidate its position within the discipline.