ITVX's 'Maryland' First Images Tease Suranne Jones' New Series

Two projects by the name of Maryland were announced in 2022, a BBC film and an ITV series. The former, written by Lucy Kirkwood, was based on Kirkwood’s 2021 theatrical production and starred Hayley Squires (Call the Midwife) and Zawe Ashton (Mr. Malcolm’s List) as two women named Mary and Daniel Mays (Magpie Murders) as the cop they report similar attacks to. The latter (stylized MaryLand), a family drama written by and starring Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack), is a limited TV series that was first announced for ITV in March 2022 before moving to an ITVX first release in 2023.

It’s the latter of the two that this post concerns. Maryland (the film) aired on BBC Two in 2022 and promptly fell off the radar. However, MaryLand, the limited series debuted on ITVX in May 2023 and then aired on ITV the following month, has released the first images for American audiences to check out as it continues to pick up steam on streaming on the back of its linear debut.

ITV announced Jones would be joined by Eve Best (House of the Dragon) and Stockard Channing (The Good Wife) in October 2022, just before filming in Ireland. At the time, ITV’s Polly Hill said, “MaryLand is a beautifully moving story of two sisters... It’s a story developed by Suranne Jones and Anne-Marie [O’Connor], and it has been wonderful working with them and Monumental to bring this story to screen. It has a wonderful cast led by Suranne Jones and Eve Best, and we are delighted that Sue Tully is directing. It promises to be a wonderful family drama for ITVX.”

Here’s the series synopsis:

MaryLand focuses on the relationship between two sisters, down-to-earth mother of two Becca and disciplined high-flyer Rosaline, who have been driven apart by complex family dynamics. They travel to the Isle of Man to repatriate the body of their mother, Mary, leaving their father, Richard, at home in Manchester. Confined on the island, they discover shocking information about their mother and find it impossible to escape the ripple effect of her secrets and lies. 

Jones stars as Becca and Best as Rosaline, with Stockard Channing as Cathy, an American whose relationship with their mother is part of what upends their homecoming. The series also co-stars George Costigan (Happy Valley), Hugh Quarshie (Riches), Dean Lennox Kelly (Tom Jones), and Andrew Knott (Ackley Bridge). All three episodes were penned by Jones and Anne-Marie O’Connor (Trollied), with director Sue Tully (Lark Rise to Candleford) helming all three installments. 

All three episodes of MaryLand are streaming on ITVX. The show has not yet announced an American streaming home, but considering the cast and the delighted reviews it received, chances are it will find one soon.