Vicky McClure Battles 'Insomnia' at Paramount+

At this point, just about everyone in the entertainment business knows that Paramount Pictures will not make it out of the streaming wars alive. It's not the first time something like this has happened; the real oldheads remember when RKO Pictures failed to make it when the transition to TV came along, and NBC swallowed them wholesale. However, which suitor (Skydance vs Apollo & Sony) will take over the 112-year-old corporation remains up in the air as of this writing. It's enough to give anyone Insomnia....which is perhaps why, when the Great Paramount+ U.K. Cancelation came along a few months ago, Insomnia was spared the axe.

All joking aside, Insomnia had enough internal power to keep itself chugging along while other projects like Castaways and No Escape were tossed overboard. For one thing, author Sarah Pinborough, whose 2022 novel the series is based on, is part of the production and executive producing. For another, star Vicky McClure (Line of Duty) is also an executive producer, and her company, Build Your Own Productions, signed on to fund the series along with Left Bank. In short, having both the author and star that deep in the show's creation (and putting up the money to make it) made canceling it far too awkward a prospect for Paramount+ to contemplate.

So, while most of the series viewers expected to arrive this spring and summer have gone the way of the dodo, Insomnia is completed and will be out before the end of May 2024. There's even a trailer assuring everyone the show is real and will debut on Paramount+... at least on the U.K. side of the pond.

Here's the show's synopsis:

Insomnia follows Emma, who fears she might be losing her mind when her hard-won dream life starts to turn into a nightmare. A couple of weeks before her fortieth birthday, Emma stops sleeping - just as her mother had done right before she suffered a violent psychotic breakdown on the night of her own fortieth birthday. Emma's mother always told her she'd go the same way, that she had the same "bad blood," and now Emma's terrified it's true. As events worsen, Emma's world starts to unravel. She realizes that only by investigating the truth of her painful past can she find the answers to her present and prevent tragedy from striking a second time.

McClure co-stars alongside Tom Cullen (The Gold), Smylie Bradwell (Wisting), India Fowler (The Nevers), Leanne Best (Ted Lasso), Corinna Marlowe (Hysteria), and Lyndsey Marshal (Inside Man). Additional cast includes Dominic Tighe (Suspicion), Jade Harrison (Wedding Season), Robert Gilbert (Killing Eve), and Michelle Bonnard (Unforgotten).

Sarah Pinborough adapted her novel for the screen and penned all episodes with director Börkur Sigthorsson (Baptiste), helming all installments and Charlotte Essex producing. Pinborough, McClure, and Sigthorsson executive produce with Andy Harries, Jessica Burdett, and Tim Bricknell. 

Insomnia will debut on Paramount+ UK on May 23, 2024. While there's a chance the series will also stream on Paramount+ U.S., it is far more likely Paramount will sell the rights to another, more popular streaming service in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.