“The Essex Serpent”
Apple TV is having quite the run with series such as “Pachinko” and “Severance,” and their latest, “The Essex Serpent” starring Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes, looks to be another strong contender in the streaming services lineup. Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Sarah Perry, adapted to the screen by Anna Symon and directed by “The Selfish Giant” filmmaker Clio Barnard, the series follows a widower from London, Cora Seaborne (played by Danes) who moves to Essex to investigate reports of a mythical serpent and, while there, forms a bond with the local pastor (played by Hiddleston). Their surprising friendship is tested however following a tragedy that has the locals accusing her of attracting the creature.
Release Date: Season one premieres May 13 on Apple TV+.
“The Time Traveler’s Wife”
Theo James and Rose Leslie star in Steven Moffat’s adaptation of the fantasy romance novel from author Audrey Niffenegger, “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams starred as the central couple in the first film interpretation, with James and Leslie taking their places in the HBO series. The story follows a married couple whose lives are continuously disrupted by the husband’s ability to time travel. Despite the show being a two-hander showcase with the leads, the cast is uniformly well-rounded with Desmin Borges (“You’re the Worst,”) and Kate Siegel (“The Haunting of Bly Manor”). David Nutter (“Game of Thrones”) directs the season premiere.
Release Date: The series premieres May 15 on HBO and HBO Max.
“Conversations With Friends”
Sally Rooney‘s novels are having a moment on television following the 2020 adaptation of her popular novel “Normal People” and now with the adaptation of her first book, “Conversations with Friends.” The 12-episode series follows Frances and Bobbie, two Dublin college students, who develop an unexpected and complicated connection with a married couple, Melissa and Nick. Alison Oliver, Sasha Lane, Joe Alywn, and Jemima Kirke star with director Lenny Abrahamson and co-writer Alice Birch returning after having worked on “Normal People.”
Release Date: The series premieres May 15 on Hulu.
“The Ipcress File”
Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton, and Tom Hollander star in “The Ipcress Files,” an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by author Len Deighton. Cole is taking on the iconic role of Harry Palmer, an ex-smuggler who is turned into a spy amid the Cold War as he’s tasked with helping prevent a global catastrophe. This isn’t the first adaptation of the story, with Michael Caine playing the character in the film version in the 1965 film. James Watkins (“The Woman in Black”) directs the series while “Trainspotting” screenwriter John Hodge is on board as a writer.
Release Date: Season one premieres May 19 on AMC+.
“Angelyne”
Following her impressive work on Showtime’s “Shameless,” Emmy Rossum returns to television with the miniseries “Angelyne.” Rossum stars as the blonde bombshell whose past and career was shrouded in mystery, whose Los Angeles billboards in the mid-1980s would be seen as a blueprint for the current influencer culture. Alex Karpovsky, Lukas Gage, Martin Freeman, Hamish Linklater, David Krumholtz and Michael Angarano also star. “Lars and the Real World” scribe Nancy Oliver is the showrunner of the series which is loosely based on a Hollywood Reporter article that investigated Angelyne.
Release Date: The series premieres May 19 on Peacock.