Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) stars in Showtime’s new limited series, Patrick Melrose, which is set to debut later this year. Although the network hasn’t confirmed a premiere date, it has released the first official trailer for the five-part limited series based on Edward St. Aubyn’s semi-autobiographical novels.
According to Showtime, each episode of the limited series is devoted to a single novel in St. Aubyn’s five novel series: Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, Mother’s Milk, and At Last. BAFTA Award nominee David Nicholls (Far from the Madding Crowd, One Day) adapted the books for the series, with Edward Berger (Deutchland 83, Jack) directing. The Patrick Melrose limited series is a co-production between Showtime and Sky Atlantic.
Michael Jackson and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rachael Horovitz (Moneyball, Grey Gardens) executive produce. Cumberbatch is also involved as an executive producer along with Adam Ackland and Helen Flint.
The Plot and Cast: This gripping and humorous saga encompasses the South of France in the 1960s, New York in the 1980s and Britain in the early 2000s. In a tour de force role, Benedict Cumberbatch plays the titular character who struggles to overcome the damage inflicted by a horribly abusive father and the mother who tacitly condoned his behavior.
Academy Award nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) and Screen Actors Guild winner Hugo Weaving (The Matrix trilogy) also star as the parents of Patrick Melrose. Rounding out this accomplished cast are Anna Madeley (The Crown), Blythe Danner (Meet the Fockers), Allison Williams (Girls), Pip Torrens (The Crown), Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster), Holliday Grainger (Bonnie & Clyde), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), and Celia Imrie (Bridget Jones’s Baby).
