‘The Essex Serpent,’ With Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston, Finds Rich Nuance in Briny Adaptation: TV Review

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticYou don’t have to have watched The CW’s “Nancy Drew” to watch “Tom Swift,” the network’s new series that is, in the most technical terms, a spinoff. Though Tom (played by Tian Richards) first appeared on the second season of “Nancy Drew,” the show bearing his name has little to do with it, which is for the best. There’s no real need to complicate things even further for Tom, who goes through so much in the pilot episode that there’s barely room for nuance beyond the basics.The series’ rush to establish every moving piece begins immediately, with a voiceover that wastes no time illustrating the Swifts’ place in this world.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticSPOILER ALERT: This review contains some minor spoilers for the first two episodes of “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” which premiered May 27 on Disney+.The extensive recap of the “Star Wars” prequels that opens the new “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series is as utilitarian as it is canny. On the one hand, it serves as a reminder of the plot basics that led to this moment in the franchise, with Ewan McGregor’s jaded Jedi reluctantly digging up his old lightsaber 10 years after Anakin Skywalker went to the Dark Side.

Tom Hiddleston is in shock at the success of the Norwegian song he sang in Loki!

Tom Hiddleston is hitting the red carpet!

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticImmediately upon opening “Stranger Things” Season 4, Volume I, you might notice that the shortest episode runs 62 minutes, the longest a solid 98(!), and the average around 72. Your reaction to this (not to mention the fact that the final Volume II chapter premiering in July will feature an astonishing run time of two and a half hours) will likely dictate how much you’ll enjoy this fourth season in general.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThe Essex Serpent” production designer Alice Normington and costume designer Jane Petrie centered their work on the journey of the show’s protagonist Cora Seaborne, played by Claire Danes.Based on the Sarah Perry novel, the six-part series, now stream- ing on Apple TV+, takes place in Victorian London and in a sea- side village plagued by rumors of a mythical beast. Newly widowed Cora has just moved to the Essex village, intrigued by the story of the serpent and ready to follow her passion to look for fossils.Normington’s designs touched on the idea of Heaven, Hell and Earth to portray Cora’s turmoil. When the character is at her London house, red tones are a reflection of her past as viewers learn about the abuse she suffered there.

Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Netflix, Peacock, Discovery+ and even more streaming services, there’s no shortage of options when choosing what to binge-watch this weekend. However, sometimes the amount of great film and television available to stream can be overwhelming and lead to scrolling aimlessly — hoping to land on that perfect piece of content.  Scroll no more! To help you out, ET has rounded up the best movies and TV shows to stream this weekend, including new arrivals, nostalgia-filled favorites and titles you may have missed the (well-deserved) hype on that are worth circling back for.From the streaming debut of to Peacock's new miniseries exploring the woman behind the Los Angeles icon, Angelyne, we’ve got your content covered this week. For even more recommendations, make sure to check out our guide for everything new on Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, Apple TV+ and more this month.Starring fan favorites including Theo James, Vanessa Bayer, Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Tom Hiddleston, Joe Alwyn, Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield, Elisabeth Moss, Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae, Jake Johnson, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and more, here are the best TV shows and movies to stream this week: +In , fan-favorite queens from past seasons come back for the chance to be inducted into RuPaul's Drag Race Hall of Fame.

The Essex Serpent Apple TV+The British Academy Television Awards (BBC One) | iPlayerFergal Keane: Living With PTSD (BBC Two) | iPlayerClark NetflixThere comes a time in every actor’s life when he must unbutton his period drama shirt and smoulder as if his life depends on it. In Apple TV+’s new six-parter The Essex Serpent, based on the historical novel by Sarah Perry, adapted by Anna Symon, directed by Clio Barnard, this duty falls to Tom Hiddleston, but he rather fluffs it.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticOn the most basic level, it makes sense that Hulu’s “Conversations With Friends” would try to echo what made its “Normal People” adaptation so successful. Once again enlisting director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Alice Birch, and once again starring a female actor (Alison Oliver) who resembles author Sally Rooney and a male one specifically poised to become a breakout thirst object (Joe Alwyn), “Conversations With Friends” follows the “Normal People” pattern so closely that it often feels more like a faded impression rather than its own series.

bestselling 2016 novel of the same name — the story is set in Victorian-era England and follows Cora Seaborne (Danes), a London widow who has a keen curiosity about science and the natural world (especially paleontology) and loves reading Darwin. After her abusive husband dies, she’s free to pursue the life she wants.

Period dramas have long been a beloved genre of film and television, consistently indulging audiences in enthralling plots while fulfilling our deepest desires of escapism through lavish costumes and satisfying (yet sometimes frustrating) romances that keep you hooked. Costume dramas don’t seem to be going out of style any time soon, with the popularity of shows like “Bridgerton,” “The Gilded Age,” and “Outlander” serving as proof.

has been renewed for season 2. Now, as anticipation builds for new episodes from the MCU spinoff series, creator Michael Waldron and star Tom Hiddleston talk to ET about “getting the band back together” and peeling back even more layers of the titular mischievous superhero. With production reportedly starting in June, just one year after the series debuted on Disney+, Hiddleston is eager to dive back into the world of the character he’s played since first appearing in 2011’s .“We’re starting very soon.

Zack Sharf Tom Hiddleston acknowledged in a recent interview with The Guardian that Loki coming out as bisexual on the character’s eponymous Disney+ series was only “a small step” and that “there’s further to go” when it comes to representing the comic book character’s sexuality on screen. Loki came out on the third episode of the series after telling Lady Loki (Sophia Di Martino) that he’s had a romantic past with both princes and princesses. That line of a dialogue was the extent to which “Loki” addressed the character’s bisexuality.“I was just really honored to be asked,” Hiddleston said about getting his own Disney+ series to lead.

Tom Hiddleston has spoken about the reveal that his Marvel character Loki is bisexual, saying he hopes it was “meaningful”In episode three of the Disney+ series Loki, Tom Hiddleston’s titular character can be seen having a conversation with Lady Loki AKA Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) about their dating history.Sylvie says: “Must’ve been would-be princess or perhaps, another prince?” to which Loki replies, “a bit of both, I suspect the same as you”, implying he has had both male and female partners in the past.In an interview with The Guardian, Hiddleston has spoken about Loki’s journey from movies (he first played the character in 2011’s Thor and appeared in five subsequent Marvel films) to his own TV series. “I was just really honoured to be asked.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticIf you’re already a fan of “Hacks,” chances are you’re one of two kinds of viewers. Either you’re in it for the prickly dynamic between Gen Z writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) and legendary stand-up comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), or you try to ignore Ava and instead focus on TV veteran Smart, playing the woman writing Ava’s checks with perfectly acidic disdain.

Apple TV+ has made quite the name for itself in the realm of film and television in the last year. Still reveling in their Best Picture win at the Academy Awards, their newest foray into TV is the highly anticipated “The Essex Serpent,” which debuts on Friday, May 13, 2022.

 dropping weekly, plus a special celebrating Mother's Day and more. The Peanuts gang celebrates families of all shapes and sizes in . Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes star in a mysterious new series about a mythical serpent that shakes up their community in An Apple TV+ costs $5/month, or it's free for three months when you purchase an eligible Apple device. New subscribers can try Apple TV+ free for seven days. Try Apple TV+ for FreeCheck out the latest shows to land on Apple TV+ below. Looking for more great TV and movie recommendations? Be sure to check out the rest of our streaming guides to find out what’s new on Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and more. Here’s what’s new on Apple TV+ this month:The Peanuts gang is getting ready to celebrate Mother's Day, and it seems like everyone's excited — except for Peppermint Patty. The holiday is hard for her because she didn't grow up with a mom.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticHalfway through the final episode of “Candy,” I had to pause to answer the door. I was four and a half hours deep into Hulu’s newest “based on true events” limited series, this time about a suburban friendship that ended in horrifically fatal consequences in 1980.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticWatching “The Pentaverate” with the purpose of reviewing it gave me enormous sympathy for Wile E. Coyote trying to trap the Roadrunner while knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it would end in him getting flattened.