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.