BAFTA-Nominated Actor James Nesbitt Stars in Four-Part BBC Drama Co-Executive Produced by Acclaimed Showrunner Jed Mercurio
“Surprising ride full of gripping twist[s] and turns.. Nesbitt is on top form… excellent performances from its stellar cast, scenic Belfast backdrops”-Radio Times
“Moody compelling thriller”– Evening Standard
“The new Irish Noir rivalling The BBC’s Bodyguard” – Refinery29
Press Pack (Cast Q & A’s, Production Notes)
Starring award-winning Irish actor James Nesbitt (The Missing, Cold Feet), the intense Irish crime thriller Bloodlands will make its exclusive US and Canada debut on Monday, March 15, 2021 on Acorn TV, AMC Networks’ acclaimed streaming service specializing in British and international television. An Acorn TV Original series, Bloodlands will premiere in the UK on BBC One prior to its North American launch on Acorn TV, where it will roll out new episodes on Mondays.
The four-part drama stars Nesbitt as Tom Brannick, a veteran detective who delves into his own dark past to try and solve an infamous cold case with enormous personal significance: a series of mysterious disappearances linked to a turbulent period in Northern Ireland history over 20 years ago. It’s an engaging cat-and-mouse game and the stakes have never been higher – Bloodlands is also a thought-provoking drama exploring the balance between seeking justice for past crimes and protecting present-day peace. Bloodlands is co-executive produced by award-winning showrunner Jed Mercurio (creator and EP of Bodyguard and Line of Duty), as the first commission for his newly-formed production company HTM Television, and is the first-ever TV series by writer Chris Brandon (Red Rock). The series stars a top-shelf cast of acclaimed Irish actors including Nesbitt, Charlene McKenna (Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street), Lisa Dwan (Top Boy, Trust), Lorcan Cranitch (Fortitude, The Dig), Ian McElhinney (Derry Girls, Game of Thrones), Michael Smiley (Luther, Dead Still), Susan Lynch (Happy Valley, Save Me), and Lola Petticrew (A Bump Along The Way).
When an expensive car belonging to a well-known crime associate and containing a possible suicide note is pulled out of the sea at Strangford Lough, Brannick instantly sees the connection to an infamous cold case with enormous personal importance. It seems someone is trying to force the police to re-open their investigation into a notorious and long-buried series of mysterious disappearances just prior to the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement ending The Troubles, the violent sectarian conflict that scarred Northern Ireland for three decades. Bloodlands follows Brannick’s obsessive campaign to identify and unmask the legendary assassin behind these events, “Goliath,” nicknamed after the famous giant shipyard crane that dominates the Belfast skyline.
Brannick has a special interest in the case; he believes his own wife, Emma – herself an intelligence officer involved in dangerous undercover surveillance of terrorists – was one of Goliath’s victims. Supported by his Detective Sergeant, Niamh McGovern (McKenna), Brannick launches an investigation without the approval of his superior officer and one-time friend Jackie Twomey (Cranitch). Brannick and McGovern embark on a journey to identify both Goliath – if such a person really exists – and whoever is behind this mysterious campaign to awaken the ghosts of the past. Bloodlands explores this conflict and investigates the impact of the violent past on the peaceful present.
Bloodlands is written and created by Chris Brandon (Red Rock), in his first-ever drama series commission. Executive producers are award-winning showrunner Jed Mercurio, Jimmy Mulville (Episodes) and Mark Redhead (The Secret, Bloody Sunday) for HTM Television and Tommy Bulfin for the BBC. It was commissioned by Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama and Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC Content.
EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS
Episode 1
When a car belonging to a known crime associate is pulled from the sea in Northern Ireland, Detective Tom Brannick finds an ominous postcard that connects to a shadowy case from the past: an assassin nicknamed Goliath. Tom and his colleague DS Niamh McGovern investigate, but the community’s distrust of the police hinders their progress.
Episode 2
Tom reels from the discovery of three bodies buried 20 years ago – one of which may be his wife. Tom and Niamh interview Pat Keenan, the man who was kidnapped, but he won’t say who abducted him. Later, Tom confronts Adam Corry, who was hunting Goliath.
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About Acorn TV
Called a “glorious streaming service… an essential must-have” (The Hollywood Reporter) and “Netflix for the Anglophile” (NPR), AMC Networks’ Acorn TV is North America’s largest streaming service specializing in British and international television. Acorn TV adds exclusive new programs every week with a deep library of mysteries, dramas, and comedies with no commercials. In 2021, Acorn TV will feature commissioned original series including British crime drama Whitstable Pearl starring Kerry Godliman (After Life), Kiwi romantic comedy Under the Vines, British detective drama Dalgleish starring Bertie Carvel, the second season of Miss Fisher spinoff Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, as well as Irish crime thriller Bloodlands starring James Nesbitt and co-executive produced by Jed Mercurio, the return of New Zealand detective series My Life Is Murder starring Lucy Lawless, and a growing catalog of popular bingeable dramas that include A Place to Call Home, Detectorists, Jack Irish and Foyle’s War. Recent Acorn TV Original series include Deadwater Fell starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, highly-rated BBC One drama The Nest starring Martin Compston and Sophie Rundle; and groundbreaking BBC One period drama A Suitable Boy from Mira Nair. Acorn TV offers a free 7-day trial and thereafter is just $5.99/month or $59.99/year.
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