The Essex Serpent (TV series)

The Essex Serpent is a British Gothic romance period drama miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Perry. The series was written by Anna Symon, directed by Clio Barnard, and starred Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston in the lead roles. It premiered on Apple TV+ on 13 May 2022.

Premise

The Essex Serpent follows London widow Cora Seaborne (Claire Danes) who moves to Essex to investigate reports of a mythical serpent. She forms a surprising bond of science and scepticism with the local parson (Tom Hiddleston). When tragedy strikes, locals accuse her of attracting the creature.

Cast and characters

• Claire Danes as Cora Seaborne
• Tom Hiddleston as Will Ransome
• Frank Dillane as Luke Garrett
• Clémence Poésy as Stella Ransome
• Hayley Squires as Martha
• Jamael Westman as Dr. George Spencer
• Lily-Rose Aslandogdu as Naomi Banks
• Gerard Kearns as Henry Banks
• Michael Jibson as Matthew Evansford
• Caspar Griffiths as Frankie Seaborne
• Dixie Egerickx as Jo Ransome
• Ryan Reffell as John Ransome
• Nitin Ganatra as Sir Charles Ambrose
• Christopher Fairbank as Cracknell
• Deepica Stephen as Sali
• Yaamin Chowdhury as Nev
• Greta Bellamacina as surgeon

Production

Development

In August 2020, it was reported that Apple gave a straight-to-series order for The Essex Serpent to See-Saw Films.

Casting

When The Essex Serpent was announced in August 2020, Keira Knightley was set to play the leading role of Cora as well as serving as executive producer, however in October 2020, she chose to leave the project due to "family reasons". In February 2021, Claire Danes signed on to play Cora replacing Knightley. Tom Hiddleston joined the cast the following month. In April, Frank Dillane, Hayley Squires, Clémence Poésy and Jamael Westman were added to the main cast.

Filming

Filming had been originally expected to commence in late November 2020 before Knightley exited the series. Filming for The Essex Serpent began in February 2021 in a number of Essex locations, including Alresford, Brightlingsea, North Fambridge and Maldon, as well as across London, including Gordon Square in Bloomsbury. Filming for the series concluded on the week of 27 June 2021.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 76% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 45 critic reviews. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Distinguished by biting performances and coiling ambience, The Essex Serpent is a highly accomplished Gothic romance." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, has a score of 69 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

The series' costume designer, Jane Petrie, won the BAFTA TV Craft award for Best Costume Design for her work on The Essex Serpent. The miniseries was nominated for two Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards for outstanding achievement, one for Design — Titles, and one for Production Management.

External links

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