The Trailer for 'COBRA' Promises A Timely Political Tale

Political drama COBRA arrives on PBS this October and, if the first trailer is any indication, it's going to feel uncomfortably timely for many of us.

The six-part drama, which aired on Sky One back in January, follows an elite government task force known as COBRA, which must respond to a terrifying, nationwide crisis in the United Kingdom.

COBRA apparently stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, the room in which the government's leading experts, senior politicians, and crisis contingency planners must all gather when anything truly threatening or terrible goes down. In this story, a massive solar flare is causing power blackouts and disrupting things like the electronics that help keep plans in the air. 

The idea is to show how the government functions as a catastrophe unfolds, and how such a high-pressure situation might impact - or be impacted by - the already messy personal lives of public servants. (And don't forget their political opponents who are all out there just waiting to pounce on any missteps!) 

It's possible that this show could have felt prescient when it aired in the U.K. eight months ago. But now, as it arrives on American screens in the midst of a global pandemic, right as we've just watched our own government struggle to maintain a consistent public response to a continually unfolding disaster it just feels... well I'm not sure what it feels like, to be honest. Too timely? Uncomfortably real?

Watch the trailer for yourselves below. [video:https://www.pbs.org/video/cobra-official-preview/ align:center] The series, written by The Tunnel's Ben Richards, boasts a stacked cast, starring Once Upon a Time's Robert Carlyle as Prime Minister Robert Sutherland, alongside an ensemble that includes Victoria Hamilton, Richard Dormer, David Haig and Lucy Cohu. 

COBRA arrives on PBS stations nationwide beginning on October 4, and all episodes will be available to stream for PBS Passport members from premiere night onward. (We'll be recapping weekly, as per usual, however.) 

Does this sound like a show you'll be checking out? Let us know in the comments.