Mare of Easttown

8.2
20211h

A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.

Production

Logo for wiip
Logo for HBO

Trailers & Videos

Thumbnail for video: Official Trailer

Official Trailer

Thumbnail for video: Official Trailer

Official Trailer

Thumbnail for video: Teaser

Teaser

Seasons

7 Episodes • Premiered 2021

Still image for Mare of Easttown season 1 episode 1: Miss Lady Hawk Herself

1. Miss Lady Hawk Herself

7.3

After answering a call about a neighborhood prowler, Detective Mare Sheehan shoulders her chief’s directive to revive an unsolved missing person’s case amid increased community pressure. Later, while her loved ones celebrate her ex-husband Frank’s engagement, Mare attends a celebration for her legendary high school basketball win and connects with Richard, a professor who’s new in town.

Still image for Mare of Easttown season 1 episode 2: Fathers

2. Fathers

7.7

Mare visits a grisly murder scene before informing the victim’s enraged father. As a video from the night of the crime surfaces, Mare questions suspects in the case and gives an icy welcome to County Detective Colin Zabel, who’s been called in to assist. Later, Mare bumps heads with locals and airs concerns about her grandson Drew in light of her late son’s mental health struggles.

Still image for Mare of Easttown season 1 episode 3: Enter Number Two

3. Enter Number Two

7.7

As Mare and Colin parse new physical evidence, phone records lead to an unlikely suspect. After lashing out at Helen about a possible custody fight over Drew, Mare receives some unprompted advice from Richard on how to move forward with Carrie. Later, Kenny and Mare face the consequences of their misguided attempts to protect their families.

Still image for Mare of Easttown season 1 episode 4: Poor Sisyphus

4. Poor Sisyphus

7.6

With Mare forced to take a backseat on the case, Colin presses a local priest about the vague circumstances that prompted his transfer to the parish. Meanwhile, an anonymous call gives Dawn hope that Katie might still be alive.

Still image for Mare of Easttown season 1 episode 5: Illusions

5. Illusions

8.1

In her mandated therapy, Mare opens up about her family’s history with mental health struggles. Meanwhile, Lori tries to get to the bottom of her son’s outburst at school, and later, Mare meets with a semi-retired source to help find a possible connection to her three cases.

Still image for Mare of Easttown season 1 episode 6: Sore Must Be the Storm

6. Sore Must Be the Storm

7.9

After a heroic rescue lands her in the hospital, Mare awakes to the unshakeable pain of losing a friend. Then, given a second chance by Chief Carter, Mare reevaluates old suspects, which leads to a shocking clue. Meanwhile, Richard visits Mare in hopes of deepening their relationship, and Lori confides in her best friend about recent family troubles.

Still image for Mare of Easttown season 1 episode 7: Sacrament

7. Sacrament

8.3

When her investigation takes a series of devastating turns, Mare's friends and family members process the fallout as she attempts to finally find her own way forward.

Cast

Photo of Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet

Marianne 'Mare' Sheehan

Photo of Jean Smart

Jean Smart

Helen Fahey

Photo of Angourie Rice

Angourie Rice

Siobhan Sheehan

Photo of Evan Peters

Evan Peters

Colin Zabel

Photo of Sosie Bacon

Sosie Bacon

Carrie Layden

Photo of David Denman

David Denman

Frank Sheehan

Photo of Neal Huff

Neal Huff

Dan Hastings

Photo of James McArdle

James McArdle

Mark Burton

Photo of Guy Pearce

Guy Pearce

Richard Ryan

Photo of Cailee Spaeny

Cailee Spaeny

Erin McMenamin

Photo of Joe Tippett

Joe Tippett

John Ross

More Like This

Reviews

N

Peter McGinn

8/10

This police detective drama series drew me in and kept me coming back for more, in spite of itself. I say that because this series borrows heavily from one police drama cliche after another. Police detective characters are often obsessed with their cases and take their work home with them: Check. The detectives often totally screw up their homes lives and relationships: Check. The detectives are likely to continue working on their cases if their boss orders them to step back, and they never call in backup help before walking into a dangerous situation: Check and Check.

Still I was totally engaged with the series. Why? Let’s see: the writing is very strong; the ensemble cast performs well most of the time; and for a change, this stereotypical detective is a woman; plus they blend a couple of cases together to give the story complexity and depth. All of these positives covered up a couple of lapses I saw, which I won’t point out here, not wanting to give anything away.

This is the second recent role I have seen Kate Winslet in where she disappears into her character. She was excellent in Ammonite as an unusual archaeologist. No clinging to romantic leads for Winslet; she is now what I would describe as a leading lady/character actor. It ages well.

I recommend Mare of Easttown highly and I hope if they make a second series, they show enough confidence to move beyond the police detective cliches.

You've reached the end.