Marcella (TV series)


Marcella is a British "Nordic"-noir detective series, written, directed and produced by Swedish screenwriter Hans Rosenfeldt, creator of The Bridge. The series is produced by Buccaneer Media for ITV and distributed worldwide by Buccaneer's parent company Cineflix. It was first broadcast on ITV on 4 April 2016, with seven further episodes broadcast weekly.
The series stars Anna Friel as Marcella Backland, a former London detective who returns to work to investigate an open case from 11 years ago involving an unidentified serial killer who appears to have become active again. Marcella also has to deal with a hectic home life, where her husband, Jason, has made the decision to leave her and, at first, send their two children to a boarding school; but later on he uses Marcella's mental disorder as a means to take full custody. Nina Sosanya, Ray Panthaki and Jamie Bamber are also credited as principal members of the cast.
The series was commissioned in June 2015, with location filming taking place in London and the Port of Dover. After their broadcast on ITV, episodes are available to stream on Netflix outside the United Kingdom. The first series was released on DVD via Universal Pictures UK on 20 June 2016. In 2017, Friel was awarded the International Emmy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Marcella.
On 26 August 2016, ITV announced that a second series had been commissioned. The second series premiered on 19 February 2018 and was released on DVD on 16 April 2018. On 3 October 2018 it was announced that Marcella would be returning to ITV for a third series, and will begin airing in 2020. Season 3 also returned to Netflix, on June 14, 2020.

Synopsis

Series 1

Marcella Backland, a former London Metropolitan Police Service detective, decides to return to work after her husband of 15 years, Jason, abruptly announces he is leaving her. Marcella resumes her investigation into the three unsolved Grove Park murders from 2005, when it appears the serial killer responsible has returned. Unbeknownst to Jason, Marcella is experiencing blackout episodes. Marcella worries she herself may be involved when Grace, the woman Jason has been having an affair with, is murdered.

Series 2

Marcella investigates a serial killer of children, encountering a paedophile, an arrogant millionaire, a 1970s rock star, and strange symbols relating to witchcraft. Her estranged husband Jason has become engaged to his rehab nurse even though their divorce is not yet finalised, putting their children in the middle of a custody battle that quickly becomes ugly. Marcella's blackouts continue, and she seeks counselling to help her remember what happened during them.

Series 3

Marcella has assumed a new identity as Keira Devlin and is working undercover in Northern Ireland where she becomes involved with a wealthy crime family. It also digs deeper into Marcella's mental health issues

Cast

Main

Series 1

Series 1

Episodes

Overview

Series 1 (2016)

Series 2 (2018)

Series 3 (2020)