A drama series that left viewers caught off guard with its ‘dark comedy’ is now one of the most-watched shows on Netflix in the UK.
First premiering on ITV in 2021, Finding Alice starred Keeley Hawes as Alice, who is left heartbroken after the sudden death of her husband Harry (Jason Merrells).
His death occurs soon after they move into the new home he designed for them and their teenage daughter Charlotte (Isabella Pappas), but while navigating her grief, Alice must contend with uncovering ‘a string of sinister secrets he kept hidden from her’.
At the same time Alice has to deal with her late husband’s parents –Minnie (Gemma Jones) and Gerry (Kenneth Cranham), who keep turning up uninvited to their home for unexplained reasons.
Meanwhile Alice’s own parents Roger (Nigel Havers) and Sarah (Joanna Lumley) only add to her problems, which also include suspicious police officers, unexpected visitors and the realisation that business debt wasn’t the only secret Harry had been keeping.
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Although the response to the show from critics and viewers was mixed, it did have many fans.
‘I simply cannot convey to you the delight of seeing this beautiful piece of order suddenly arising out of the chaos of the past year,’ The Guardian wrote in its review.
‘Finding Alice strikes the right balance between drama and comedy, sadness and laughter, with a fine performance by Keeley Hawes at its centre,’ Decider wrote.
‘Good gripping stuff heightened by Hawe’s unique characterisation,’ WhatSheSaid added.
Although some said it was a ‘slow burn’ and ‘farfetched’, others said it was ‘original’, ‘moving’ and ‘a real treat’.
This week the six-part series was added to Netflix, where its quickly shot up the charts and is now the fourth most watched show on the streaming platform in the UK.
Speaking to the BBC at the time of the show’s release, creator Roger Goldby spoke about its exploration of grief.
‘Death in its instance is very traumatic and horrendous but it’s the legacy of the grief that comes after that we’re all touched by at some point in our lives to varying degrees,’ he said about the idea for Finding Alice.
‘It can be destabilising, catastrophic, shocking and all-encompassing when the rest of the world is carrying on around you. It’s negotiating your way through that journey that interested me rather than the death itself.
‘And one of the most important things was to be authentic, real and truthful and treat it with respect. It’s not a documentary, but we wanted to be very honest.’
Finding Alice was a massive hit for ITV when it aired, drawing in around 7 million viewers each episode.
Although it was renewed for a second season, it was eventually canned due to scheduling conflicts.
Finding Alice is streaming on ITVX and Netflix.
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