'Ragdoll' To Get Linear Debut on AMC in February
Streaming service AMC+ and its sister linear network, AMC, continue to share and share-alike. The niche streamer, one part British series, one part vampires, and one part zombies, has been playing around with which release strategy is most effective. It's tried weekly in tandem, weekly on streaming/then weekly on the network, or weekly on the network followed by binge on streaming. For Ragdoll, the decision has turned out to be going with the second format, as the series, which streamed with weekly new episodes back in November, will now come to the linear cable channel to air weekly the day after Killing Eve.
Based on the book by Daniel Cole, from which it takes its title, Ragdoll attempts to follow the same winning strategy as the Killing Eve formula, mixing horror and humor with intense characters and twisty plots. The series was a hit with critics both here and in the U.K. (where it aired on Alibi). However, despite being headlined by Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars) as the new recruit, DC Lake Edmunds, AMC+'s tiny footprint made it a small-time playing in the ratings numbers in a crowded fall landscape. Not only was Ragdoll up against the regular PBS slate, but it faced stiff competition from The Long Call from BritBox and Dalgliesh and Doctor Who from its own sister networks Acorn TV and BBC America
With the return of Killing Eve (which will be a multi-platform release, streaming on AMC+ while airing weekly on both AMC linear and BBC America linear), it looks like the hope is that the audience for one will crossover to the other. Considering the cast includes Killing Eve's Henry Lloyd-Hughes as DS Nathan Rose as Hale's new supervisor, the familiar faces may be enough to land a double hit this spring.
Here's the synopsis for Ragdoll for those who don't have AMC+ and haven't been able to see it yet:
Six people have been murdered, dismembered, and sewn into the shape of one grotesque body suspended from the ceiling in a block of London flats – nicknamed the 'Ragdoll.' Assigned to the shocking case are newly reinstated DS Nathan Rose; his best friend and boss, DI Emily Baxter; and the unit's new recruit, DC Lake Edmunds. The 'Ragdoll Killer taunts the police by sending them a list of his next victims, with Rose's name among them. And with those victims to protect, our heroes soon come under intense public scrutiny.
Thalassa Teixeira (The Musketeers) stars alongside Lloyd-Hughes and Hale as DI Emily Baxter. The series co-stars include a lot of other familiar faces, including Michael Smiley (Luther), Ali Cook (The ABC Murders), Natasha Little (Dalgliesh), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (The Split), Angus Wright (Cobra), Amita Dhiri (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries), Phil Davis (Poldark), Camilla Beeput (Sick Note), Samantha Spiro (Ridley Road), and Sam Troughton (Chernobyl).
The six-episode series Ragdoll will premiere on AMC on Monday, Feb. 28, at 10 p.m. ET with weekly episodes to follow. All episodes are currently streaming on AMC+.
