Netflix's Time Traveling Crime Drama 'Bodies' Set to Premiere in October
Kyle Soller in Netflix's "Bodies"
(Photo: Netflix)
Mystery series are old hat to British TV fans. After all, the Brits have essentially made an art form out of the genre, whether it's a series based on classic literature or one that sees an individual with a completely inappropriate background (priest, professor, restaurant owner) suddenly take up solving crimes as a hobby. But a very different kind of mystery series is coming to Netflix this October with Bodies, a decidedly time-wimey spin on the traditional police procedural that sees a murder victim mysteriously reappear across multiple eras.
Based on the graphic novel by Si Spencer, the story follows four different police detectives from four different time periods who each find a dead body in the Whitechapel neighborhood of East London. But what sets the series' premise apart from other crime dramas is --- it's the same dead body, reappearing across time over 150 years.
Initially set in present-day London, Detective Sergeant Shahara Hasan discovers a naked body in the aftermath of a protest. But as she attempts to solve the mystery of the man's death, her search for the truth parallels three other investigations across multiple timelines --- in 1890, 1941, and 2053 --- each involving different detectives but the same victim. As the four detectives attempt to solve the case, they unravel a mystery that could put hundreds of thousands of lives at stake.
Here's the series' synopsis.
Based on the mind-bending graphic novel by Si Spencer, Bodies is a police procedural with a twist. When a body – the same body – is found on Longharvest Lane in London's East End in 1890, 1941, 2023 and 2053, one detective from each period must investigate. As connections are drawn across the decades, the detectives soon discover their investigations are linked, and an enigmatic political leader – Elias Mannix (Stephen Graham) – becomes increasingly central. Did he have a part to play in the murder? Or is something far more sinister at play? To solve the mystery, our four detectives must somehow collaborate and uncover a conspiracy spanning over 150 years.
Bodies stars Amaka Okafor (The Split) as DS Hasan, alongside Kyle Soller (Poldark) as Alfred Hillinghead, a by-the-book detective inspector living in 1890; Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Great) as Charles Whiteman, a morally dubious detective sergeant in 1941 London; and Shira Haas (Unorthodox) as Iris Maplewood, a savvy detective living in 2053. They're joined by Stephen Graham (Time), who plays enigmatic political leader Elias Mannix, and Tom Mothersdale (Peaky Blinders) as Gabriel Defoe, a leader in quantum gravity theory (a.k.a. time travel).
Bodies is created by Paul Tomalin (No Offense) who co-wrote the script with Danusia Samal (Gangs of London). Marco Kreuzpaintner (The Lazarus Project) is lead director, with further episodes helmed by Haolu Wang (Doctor Who). Will Gould, Frith Tiplady, Tomalin and Kreuzpaintner are executive producers, and the series producer is Susie Liggat.
The eight-part series premieres October 19 on Netflix.
