TV Insider is exclusively debuting the first trailer and photos from Acorn TV‘s gripping new detective series Ellis starring three-time Olivier Award-winner and Tony Award-nominee Sharon D. Clarke. Set to premiere this November, the three-part series follows Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Ellis (Clarke), a tenacious cop who is parachuted into failing investigations.
In a change from what we’re used to seeing with these shows, each two-hour episode will see Ellis, accompanied by her right-hand man DS Harper, played by Outlander‘s Andrew Gower, arrive at a different local police station, where she will have to win over the local detectives and immerse herself in the cases she’s come to solve. As a Black female cop, Ellis is used to being dismissed and overlooked, but remains focused on her work as a first-class murder detective, fueled by a determination for justice and a deep well of compassion for those who need it.
Ellis has a unique perspective on crime scene investigations. “It’s not the physical evidence that makes a story. It’s the people in between and the things that join those people together,” she says forebodingly in the trailer. “Hate, love, and fear. Their lives are never the same again.” The trailer features a car submerged in a river, a man loading a rifle by a stream, and more chilling scenes. See Clarke and Gower in the TV Insider exclusive first-look photos below.
Sharon D. Clarke as DCI Ellis
Steffan Hill / AcornTV
Sharon D. Clarke as DCI Ellis and Andrew Gower as DS Harper
Peter Marley / AcornTV
Sharon D. Clarke as DCI Ellis
Steffan Hill / AcornTV
Clarke was recently seen onscreen as the UK Prime Minister in Prime Video‘s Red, White & Royal Blue. She also played Grace O’Brien in Doctor Who from 2018-2021. Other credits include Holby City, Rocketman, and more. Gower can also be seen in The Winter King and Carnival Row.
From Company Pictures, in association with Northern Ireland Screen, Ellis was commissioned for Acorn TV by Catherine Mackin, Managing Director of Acorn Media Enterprises (AME), who also executive produces alongside Bea Tammer, AME’s Director of Development.
The series was ordered for the UK’s Channel 5 by Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer, Paramount UK and Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama, Channel 5, and Paramount+. Executive producers for Company Pictures are Michele Buck and Lucy Raffety with producer Chris Martinand writers Paul Logue, and Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre. International distribution will be handled by All3 Media International.
Ellis, Series Premiere, November 2024, Acorn TV