The 'Say Nothing' Trailer Is a 1970s-Set Thriller

Patrick Radden Keefe’s critically adored true crime/nonfiction book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland has been one of the most revelatory deep dives into the 1970s history of “The Troubles.” However, some readers were concerned when it was first announced that FX had boarded a TV series version. The last thing anyone should do with the book is turn it into some kind of Northern Ireland Horror Story. where the IRA violence is idolized. But with the first trailer, it seems like the goal is to market the show's violence.

Say Nothing is an oddity of a book. It opens as a mystery of the kidnapping of Jean McConville in 1972, who was “disappeared” by the IRA, before pulling back to a wider overview of the historical record of those who participated in a fight for freedom that suddenly vanished out from under them in 1997. But the book hooks you with the present-day search for anything on McConville and the discovery of a treasure trove of documents tucked away at Boston College that the Irish government wishes had stayed buried in the college's library basement.

Say Nothing is an account of the tragedy of the “armed struggle” using the story of one mother who never came home to capture a larger truth. But perhaps it was inevitable that any trailer would focus on the young 1970s-era IRA members whose names would be recognizable to anyone who lived through it: Gerry Adams, Brendan Hughes, Marian, and Dolours Price, and the bombing campaign that killed indiscriminately. 

FX’s limited series Say Nothing is a gripping story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. Spanning four decades, the series opens with the shocking disappearance of Jean McConville, a single mother of ten who was abducted from her home in 1972 and never seen alive again.

Telling the story of various Irish Republican Army (IRA) members, Say Nothing explores the extremes some people will go to in the name of their beliefs, the way a deeply divided society can suddenly tip over into armed conflict, the long shadow of radical violence for all affected, and the emotional and psychological costs of a code of silence.

Lola Petticrew (Bloodlands) and Hazel Doupe (Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale) star as sisters Dolours and Marian Price, young women who became potent symbols of radical politics, Maxine Peake (The Hollow Crown) plays the older Dolours Price who looks back at her time in the IRA. Anthony Boyle (Shardlake) stars as Brendan Hughes, a charismatic but conflicted military strategist, and Josh Finan (The Responder) as Gerry Adams, a leading political operator who would go on to negotiate peace and has always denied having any involvement with the IRA. The cast also features Megan Cusack (Call The Midwife), Paul Mallon (Derry Girls), Valene Kane (Blue Lights), and Jack Myers (Masters of the Air).

Showrunner Josh Zetumer (Robocop) adapted the nine-episode series from Patrick Radden Keefe's New York Times best-selling book. Director Michael Lennox (How to Get to Heaven from Belfast) split helping duties with Mary Nighy, Anthony Byrne, and Alice Seabright. Keefe executive produces along with Lennox, Zetumer, Edward McDonnell, Monica Levinson, and Nina Jacobson & Brad Simpson for Color Force and FX Productions. 

All nine episodes of Say Nothing will arrive as a binge on Hulu and the Hulu tile on Disney+ on Thursday, November 14, 2024, in the U.S. and on Disney+ everywhere else in the world on the same day.