The 'MaryLand' Trailer Finally Reveals the Series' Plot

It is a rare series that Masterpiece keeps the plot of under wraps, unless it's something the PBS anthology series doesn't have control over. (Downton Abbey, for example, was as much about ITV wanting spoilers kept quiet as it was anything else.) However, MaryLand has been an oddity from the jump. The series aired on ITV and streamed on ITVX long before Masterpiece even scooped up the rights, and even then, no one was allowed to talk about it, even though it was over and done in the U.K. Since it was announced, the plot details have been thin on the ground, which was compounded when Mr Bates vs The Post Office was added to the schedule last minute when it blew ITV's ratings sky high, upending PBS' schedule and shoving the three-part series down the calendar to May.

One reason Masterpiece has been able to keep MaryLand quiet is that it wasn't a major hit for ITV. Though Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack) is a beloved actor, and Eve Best is currently huge for her dragon riding role in House of the Dragon, this series didn't make a big splash when it landed. It was Jones' first crack at writing a script, and the reviews were tepid about her skills in that department, suggesting the series was decent because the actors overcame those deficiencies. 

However, with a first look at the trailer, it seems that part of the problem may have been a mismatch in expectations versus product. MaryLand is not a family drama in the traditional sense of parents and siblings arguing it out or happy families coming together to overcome struggles. In fact, it's all about what happens when no one talks to anyone at all.

Here is the full synopsis of MaryLand:

MaryLand is the story of two sisters re-discovering each other after discovering the secret life of their mother. Sisters Becca and Rosaline receive unimaginable news about their mother, fly to the Isle of Man to learn more, and are reunited after years of distance. As they deal with the fallout from their mother’s death, new revelations emerge, and the sisters cope in different and sometimes destructive ways. Everything comes to a head as Richard and Jim arrive on the Isle of Man and Mary’s actions continue to have an impact on the entire family as they try to heal and reconnect.

Jones stars as Becca and Best as Rosaline, with George Costigan (Happy Valley) as their father, Richard, Andrew Knott (The Long Shadow) as Becca's husband, Jim, with Rhiannon Clements (Ridley) and Yasmin Davies (The Tower) as their teenage daughters. Stockard Channing (Julia) plays Mary's BFF, Cathy; Hugh Quarshie (Riches) is Mary's boyfriend, Pete; Dean Lennox Kelly (Tom Jones) is Island resident Jacob; and Judy Clifton (Endeavour) plays Mary in flashbacks.

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. 

MaryLand will premiere on most PBS stations, the PBS app, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel beginning Sunday, May 5, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET and run weekly. All three episodes will be available for members on premiere day on most PBS Passport services. As always, check your local listings.