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Limited Series – The Essex Serpent

Play trailer 3:05 Poster for Limited Series – The Essex Serpent May 2022 Drama Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Cora Seaborne, a widow from London, moves to Essex to investigate reports of a mythical serpent where she forms a bond of science and skepticism with the local vicar; when tragedy strikes, locals accuse her of attracting the creature.
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The Essex Serpent — Limited Series

The Essex Serpent — Limited Series

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Critics Consensus

Distinguished by biting performances and coiling ambience, The Essex Serpent is a highly accomplished Gothic romance.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Kermode Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube) Jan 9, 2024
Having had a slightly sticky start with the first episode... when we got to the falling, suddenly, it was like the whole thing supercharged and from then on, I was gripped. Go to Full Review
Wenlei Ma News.com.au Jun 6, 2022
A satisfying series that explores the possibilities and limitations of ambition, progress and human connection. Go to Full Review
Alison Stine Salon.com May 18, 2022
Restrained as a corset, it feels as if The Essex Serpent doesn't want us to excite ourselves or to get any ideas beyond the ones drolly lined out for us. And that's a shame. Go to Full Review
Pramit Chatterjee Digital Mafia Talkies Jul 20, 2023
2/5
Most of the time, bad storytelling and execution don’t really keep one up at night. However, when a miniseries with a stacked cast as this and a room for attacking religion, morality, and the essence of humanity as this, it pricks. Go to Full Review
Joyce Slaton Common Sense Media Mar 15, 2023
3/5
Patient viewers caught up in The Essex Serpent's unhurried storytelling won't mind waiting for the answer. Go to Full Review
Therese Lacson Nerdophiles Jun 22, 2022
4/5
With a muted but indulgent visual palette, The Essex Serpent not only looks amazing but its leads propel it beyond the standard period piece affair into the stratosphere. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Constance G. @Constanceag May 14, 2026 Lovely gothic madness and a great ending. See more Actually I. @Susan265 Apr 13, 2026 It gets one star for the cast. There is no serpent. It’s all in their heads. This was a disappointment. It drags on with the weird romance between the married man and the widow with this much younger doctor character also chasing the widow. She was not that interesting. She was bland and there was no reason to warrant such attention unless perhaps she was wealthy and the men are after her money. But they don’t really say that she’s wealthy. The whole thing is kind of stupid. See more Y C @RT01118071 Sep 15, 2025 Essex Serpent? More like neglectful parent. I lost sight of the plot and couldn't stop tracking where this woman's poor son was in each episode, how she couldn't stop being the worst, most selfish, most horrible mother imaginable. Good thing Edwardians didn't have child services. Show is dumb, silly, but good looking. The worst mother award made it at least funny. See more Torin F @nonlinearize Jun 23, 2023 THE ESSEX SERPENT begins with captivating gothic atmosphere and beautiful attention to detail. Some of this ambience persists throughout the skillfully-paced limited series, but the initial intrigue eventually gives way to a bumbling love triangle romance, which Claire Danes (amazing in so many roles) is not well cast for, and the whole thing becomes a bit strained and a little silly. An otherwise pretty excellent cast keeps the series afloat, but the disappointments do add up. See more Lindsay L @lilLamb217 Apr 13, 2023 For a naturalist that is so level headed— the actions wrote into the plot for the main character were very disappointing … So much potential, given up in the name of sex. See more jenaro v @JenaroV Oct 17, 2022 Por lo general, las series suelen sentirse con capítulos sobrantes dado el relleno que tienen para completar una cantidad de horas de metraje, en este caso se siente como si a esta serie le faltaron capítulos, hay saltos temporales que te dejan desorientado y es algo que pasa seguido, se vuelve anticlimático. En el final, hay muchas cosas que quedan en el aire sin explicación, además de que la manera en la que finalizaron las tramas fue muy de un momento a otro sin mayor explicación. Tom y Claire están excelentes en todo momento y son quienes sostienen una serie que se siente mal editada. See more Read all reviews
The Essex Serpent — Limited Series

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired May 13, 2022 The Blackwater London widow Cora Seaborne relocates to Essex to learn the truth about a rumored sea dragon; when a local girl goes missing, fears escalate. Details Episode 2 Aired May 13, 2022 Matters of the Heart Cora moves to Aldwinter, but the grieving villagers don't welcome her; Naomi struggles with her guilt about what happened to Gracie. Details Episode 3 Aired May 20, 2022 Falling After fishermen claim they were attacked by the serpent, Cora becomes more determined to understand what's in the water. Details Episode 4 Aired May 27, 2022 Everything is Blue Luke throws a birthday party for Cora; during an eventful night, Cora and Will get closer, and Luke notices Stella is hiding something. Details Episode 5 Aired Jun 3, 2022 I Break Things Cora tries to put things behind her, but a chance encounter makes that complicated; Stella gets some bad news. Details Episode 6 Aired Jun 10, 2022 Surfacing Luke processes the incident; Cora has a realization; Will struggles with Stella's illness. Details
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Season Info

Executive Producer
Clio Barnard, Hakan Kousetta
Network
Apple TV
Rating
TV-14
Genre
Drama, Fantasy
Original Language
British English
Release Date
May 13, 2022
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