The Essex Serpent Trailer: Tom Hiddleston And Claire Danes Take On Beasts And Temptation

Hot priest cometh again! Thanks to "The Essex Serpent," Tom Hiddleston is joining the Attractive Holy Man canon, where he'll be in company with the likes of Andrew Scott, Ethan Hawke, and Hamish Linklater. Besides clergy robes and collars, this likely means we'll get to see Hiddleston in the midst of a crisis of faith, and would ya look at that, he's set to star opposite Claire Danes. Could this mean a steamy, forbidden romance lies ahead? Based on the trailer, the answer is a resounding yes! This is officially the greatest subgenre ever and it might be time to build an entire award show around it. Until then, let's see what "The Essex Serpent" has in store.

"I can't think clearly when I'm around you," Hiddleston's priest declares in the trailer and whoa, this is gonna be fun. But just because I'm hyperfixating on the chemistry between Danes and Hiddleston, it doesn't mean that's all there is. Based on the best-selling novel from Sarah Perry, "The Essex Serpent" follows London widow Cora Seaborne (Danes) on her move to Essex, where she investigates reports of a mythical serpent. As you can imagine, the quiet English village doesn't take well to reports of a fabled beast hiding beneath their waters, and Cora's theories begin to ruffle some feathers. This is where Hiddleston's Will Ransome comes in. Despite various reports that the creature has been spotted, he dubs the serpent "an invention... a symptom of the times we live in." Given her dedication to science and his to faith, the pair should share nothing in common. But obviously the heart wants what it wants, because they soon forge a surprising bond.

As the situation escalates and tragedy strikes the small town, the line between faith and fanaticism begins to blur and at the center of it all is Cora, who becomes the target of unfair accusations. The series marks Danes' first major television role since "Homeland" wrapped its eight-season run in 2020 and Hiddleston's first since last year's "Loki." The series also stars Frank Dillane ("The Girlfriend Experience," "Fear the Walking Dead"), Clémence Poésy ("Tenet," "Genius: Aretha") and Hayley Squires ("True Things," "Adult Material").

Beyond being a promising series all on its own, "The Essex Serpent" is also proof that the Apple TV + library will continue to grow. The streaming service spent much of its first year overshadowed by giants like Disney+ and HBO Max, whose libraries were much more extensive but has lately been firing on all fronts with successful originals, including "Severance," "Pachinko," "The Afterparty" and "WeCrashed." Now comes this six-episode series, written by Anna Symon ("Mrs. Wilson"), with Clio Bernard ("Dark River," "The Selfish Giant") in the director's chair for every episode.

The first two episodes of "The Essex Serpent" will premiere on May 13, 2022, and new episodes will premiere each Friday after through June 10. Here's the official synopsis:

Set in Victorian England featuring a star-studded cast led by Danes, Tom Hiddleston, Frank Dillane, Clémence Poésy, and Hayley Squires, 'The Essex Serpent' follows London widow Cora Seaborne (Danes) who moves to Essex to investigate reports of a mythical serpent. She forms a surprising bond of science and skepticism with the local pastor (Hiddleston), but when tragedy strikes, locals accuse her of attracting the creature.