The body lies staged in the Scottish countryside, an unmistakable taunt. From the first frame of The Dark, you feel the weight of old-fashioned craft. No lectures, no agenda, just the slow burn of suspicion spreading through a rural community that thought itself safe. ITV1's Sunday night premiere at 9pm on 12 July delivered exactly what many viewers have been missing: a proper crime drama that trusts its audience.
Adapted from GR Halliday's novel From the Shadows, the six-part series follows DI Monica Kennedy, played by Laura Donnelly, as she investigates the death of a young man. What looks like suicide quickly reveals itself as something far darker, the possible opening move in a serial killer's campaign. The second episode follows on Monday evening, with the full box set already waiting on ITVX for those who prefer to devour it in one sitting.
Donnelly brings a grounded intensity to Monica that feels refreshingly real. The detective carries visible scars from her past, her family and the particular way she approaches the job. As the actor herself put it, while it has all the suspense and thrills of a detective-serial killer drama, it was so character-based. The most important elements seemed to be the relationships between the characters. I was drawn to Monica because she was carrying so much in terms of her past, her family and the way she approaches her work.
It’s not the usual young women being violently murdered.
That restraint matters. The series refuses to linger on graphic violence against women, choosing instead to root its tension in atmosphere, procedure and human connection. Mark Rowley appears as DC Connor Crawford, with strong support from Emun Elliott and Helen Baxendale. Together they create a believable police unit operating in a specific, lived-in Scotland rather than some generic backdrop.
Filmed across Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands with backing from Screen Scotland, The Dark makes its setting an active participant in the story. The rugged landscape mirrors the characters' isolation and the hidden threats beneath peaceful surfaces. This feels like public service broadcasting doing what it should: supporting quality British drama that emerges from Western storytelling traditions instead of trying to reshape them.
Matt Hartley leads the writing team alongside co-writers Lena Rae and Nessah Muthy, while Gilles Bannier directs. The production comes from Poison Pen Studios, part of ITV Studios, with executive producers including Ben Stephenson and Preethi Mavahalli. Their collective focus stays laser-sharp on plot mechanics, character depth and mounting suspense.
