| Genre: | Period drama |
| Based On: | [1] |
| Developer: | Anna Symon |
| Director: | Clio Barnard |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 6 |
| Cinematography: | David Raedeker |
| Editor: | Lucia Zucchetti |
| Runtime: | 47-50 minutes |
| Company: | See-Saw Films |
| Network: | Apple TV+ |
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.[2] It premiered on Apple TV+ on 13 May 2022.[3]
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.
In August 2020, it was reported that Apple gave a straight-to-series order for The Essex Serpent to See-Saw Films.[4]
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".[5] In February 2021, Claire Danes signed on to play Cora replacing Knightley.[6] Tom Hiddleston joined the cast the following month.[7] In April, Frank Dillane, Hayley Squires, Clémence Poésy and Jamael Westman were added to the main cast.[8]
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,[9] [10] Brightlingsea, North Fambridge and Maldon,[11] as well as across London, including Gordon Square in Bloomsbury. Filming for the series concluded on the week of 27 June 2021.[12]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 76% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 41 critic reviews. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Distinguished by biting performances and coiling ambience, The Essex Serpent is a highly accomplished Gothic romance."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, has a score of 69 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
The miniseries was nominated for two Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards for outstanding achievement, one for Design — Titles, and one for Production Management.[15]