Yesterday, the first trailer for the upcoming miniseries, The Casual Vacancy, arrived to deliver a brief glimpse into the seedy underbelly of a small English village. A dark, moody teaser that began with the faces of its cast dappled with glorious summertime sunshine, things soon soured in the final few seconds. For those expecting an adult retread of Harry Potter be warned; this looks set to stray far from creator J.K. Rowling’s magical roots.
Along with the delivery of the teaser came word of the show’s UK release, which is now extended to include details of its U.S. release. The three-part adaptation will be made available to American audiences via HBO in April. Parts one and two are scheduled to debut back-to-back on Wednesday April 29th, followed by part three the next night, Thursday April 30th.
Based on the 2012 novel by Rowling, the show stars Michael Gambon, Keeley Hawes, Rory Kinnear, Monica Dolan, Julia McKenzie, and Abigail Lawrie.
The Casual Vacancy arrives in the UK via BBC One on February 15th, and in the US via HBO on April 29th.
The Casual Vacancy centres on Pagford, a seemingly idyllic English village with a cobbled market square and ancient abbey. Behind the pretty façade however, is a town at war: rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils. Pagford is not what it first seems.
At the Parish Council meeting the subject of Sweetlove House and its legacy arises. Howard Mollison, the Chairman, heads up the faction who want to see an end to the legacy; the thorn in his side is Barry Fairbrother, who makes an impassioned speech outlining the importance of the legacy, and the services it provides. For now, Barry has won the argument.
When Barry dies suddenly, Pagford is left in shock, and the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the village has yet seen. Three candidates are soon lined up: Miles Mollison, Howard’s son; Colin Wall, Barry’s friend; and Simon Price, Barry’s half-brother.
