Mare Of Easttown - What We Know So Far

Kate Winslet is returning to a lead television role for the first time in a decade with the upcoming miniseries Mare of Easttown. Her last lead TV role was in another miniseries, Mildred Pierce, back in 2011, in which she played the title role. For Mildred Pierce, Winslet won the Emmy, the Golden Globe, the Satellite Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for her lead performance. With that in mind, television — and HBO especially — is likely welcoming the talented actress back with open arms.

The show, written by creator Brad Ingelsby and directed by Craig Zobel, will have seven episodes and will stream on HBO Max upon its release, as reported by IndieWire. Winslet, along with playing the lead role as Detective Mare Sheehan, will also be executive producing the series — her first time ever serving in that role.

The upcoming drama takes place in Easttown, Pennsylvania, which reportedly proved to be a bit of a challenge for Winslet, as she admitted she struggled with the accent. She told IndieWire, "It was up there with the hardest accents I've ever done, in the top three for sure. It's one of only two dialects in my life that made me throw things." However, Zobel insists she nails the accent.

Besides the notable accent, here's more of what we know and what viewers can expect from Mare of Easttown.

In February, at WarnerMedia's TCA presentation, HBO announced that the drama would premiere on its streaming service, HBO Max, on Sunday April 18, 2021 at 10 p.m. ET.

The premiere is still about a month away, so TV connoisseurs eager to see Winslet's return to the small screen will have to wait a bit longer before the episodes drop. Back in February of this year, HBO did release the trailer for the series, which gives a substantial look into the drama that will be unfolding for Winslet's character — a detective working on an intense case.

Mare of Easttown will debut on the streaming platform almost ten years after Winslet's last television endeavor, Mildred Pierce, which aired on March 27, 2011 and ran for three weeks with its five total parts. Considering Winslet is returning not only to TV, but to HBO specifically, the timing is certainly fitting.

In the meantime, viewers will have to hold onto the hype and anticipation provided by the two minute preview — at least until the show actually airs next month.

While Winslet is the show's leading actor, there are still plenty of other familiar faces making up the rest of the cast. One of the most notable ones is Evan Peters — of American Horror Story and X-Men fame — who will be playing another detective, Colin Zabal, as reported by Digital Spy. They also reported that the mother of Winslet's character will be played by Jean Smart, who recently portrayed Laurie Blake on Watchmen.

In mid-February, Deadline reported on a number of additions to the show, with eleven more actors being confirmed in the cast. These additions included Mackenzie Lansing of The Deuce, Ruby Cruz of Castle Rock, and Jack Mulhern of the teen Netflix show The Society. Some actors known for their work on Broadway and other stage performances also joined the TV series, including Anthony Norman who famously performed in The Prom, as well as in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as Madeleine Weinstein.

The final additions, rounding out the eleven that were reported per the Deadline piece, are Kate Arrington, Eisa Davis, Enid Graham, Justin Hurtt-Dunkley, Izzy King, and Drew Scheid.

Winslet plays Mare Sheehan, a detective in the small town of Easttown, Pennsylvania. Mare is in charge of investigating a local murder, and the investigation brings about a number of other complications that she's forced to navigate in the midst of dealing with her own personal struggles too. HBO's official page for the series states that the show will explore "the dark side of a close community and provides an authentic examination of how family and past tragedies can define our present."

Winslet, in preparation for this role, actually spent time working with local police departments, including one in the town that the show takes place — Easttown. She told IndieWire, "We wanted to capture what it really means to be a detective in that town. If anything felt fake or phony, we'd ask [the consultants] to tell us."

In another Deadline piece, Winslet talked about the character she takes on for the series. She stated, "She's nothing like me — that's pretty scary in a great way if you're an actor that likes to feel terrified and exposed." And, about the plot, she added, "The story has so much heart in it and is rooted in truth. It just really resonated with me."

Mare of Easttown will premiere on Sunday April 18, 2021 on HBO Max.