Apple TV's Forgotten 6-Part Gothic Romance Is One of the Most Impressive Shows of the Decade

The Essex Serpent arrives as Apple TV’s notable six-part gothic romance, built on Sarah Perry’s novel and directed through Anna Symon’s adaptation and Clio Barnard’s direction. The series marks Claire Danes’s return to television after her Emmy-winning role on Homeland, while also reuniting Tom Hiddleston with the gothic romance space following Crimson Peak. Danes plays Cora Seaborne, a recently widowed woman who leaves Victorian London to investigate ominous sightings tied to a missing local girl. Hiddleston portrays Will Ransome, a vicar and skeptic drawn into a forbidden relationship with Cora. Across six episodes, the production emphasizes moody real locations, sustained atmosphere, and themes including critiques of religious fervor, domestic abuse, and restrictive social rules.