'The Midwich Cuckoos' Will Arrive on AMC Networks in Time for Halloween
Keeley Hawes in "The Midwich Cuckoos"
(Photo: Sky)
Streamers Sundance Now and Acorn TV are joining forces to bring the seven-part British sci-fi horror series The Midwich Cuckoos to the U.S. just in time for spooky season.
Based on the perennially popular 1957 John Wyndham novel of the same name, the show originally aired on U.K. network Sky back in 2022. It has been retitled The Midwich Cuckoos: Village of the Damned for its American broadcast, ostensibly to make its connection to the popular horror film --- either the 1960 original or the 1995 remake --- that was based on the same source material clearer.
But even if you've never read the book or seen either of those movies, it's likely many viewers will still be familiar with its story, having picked it up through general pop culture osmosis.
The Midwich Cuckoos follows the story of a small commuter town outside London where strange things begin to happen. One summer evening, the townspeople begin passing out without warning, as does anyone who enters its boundaries. When they regain consciousness, life returns to normal, save for one key difference: Every woman of child-bearing age is now somehow pregnant.
Keeley Hawes (Orphan Black: Echoes) stars as Dr. Susannah Zellaby, a psychotherapist charged with supporting those affected through the emotional aftermath, and who harbors deep concerns about who, or what is behind this phenomenon. Meanwhile, Local DCI Paul Haynes (Max Beesley) has been tasked with keeping order, despite the terrifying threat building in the streets of Midwich, and the increasing public concern about where these children came from, and what they want.
Here's the series' synopsis.
One summer evening, every person inside the small English village of Midwich suddenly and inexplicably falls unconscious. As they recover from the devastating effects of the blackout, a horrifying discovery is made. Something deeply disturbing and supernatural has taken root – and the idyllic town will never be the same again.
Alongside Hawes and Beesley, the series also stars Cherrelle Skeete (Hanna), Samuel West (All Creatures Great and Small), Aisling Loftus (Sherwood), Synnøve Karlsen (Passenger), Ukweli Roach (Annika), Lara Rossi (Flesh and Blood), Lewis Reeves (Unforgotten), Rebekah Staton (The Following Events Are Based on a Pack of Lies) and Anneika Rose (Line of Duty).
David Farr (The Night Manager) adapted the series for the screen, with Sasha Hails, Namsi Khan, and Laura Lomas each co-writing one of the seven episodes. Ali Troughton (A Discovery of Witches) is the lead director, and Jennifer Perrott (Gentleman Jack) and Börkur Sigthorsson (Trapped) also direct. The executive producers are Marc Samuelson and Robert Cheek for Route 24 and Ruth Kenley-Lettts and Neil Blair for Snowed-In Productions. The series producer is Eliza Mellor (Poldark).
The Midwitch Cuckoos will premiere on Thursday, October 17, 2024, simultaneously on both Acorn TV and Sundance Now, and will stream in weekly installments every Thursday through November on both platforms.
